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CHRISTIAN WORSHIP: 



ITS PRINCIPLES AND FORMS. 



BY 



REV. J. W. RICHARD, D. D., LL. D., 

Professor of Homiletics and Ecclesiastical Theology in the Theological 
Seminary at Gettysburg, 



REV. F. V. N. PAINTER, D. D., 

Professor of Modern Languages and lAterature in Roanoke College. 



SECOND EDITION, REVISED. 



PHII.ADEI<PHIA : 

LUTHERAN PUBUCATION vSOCIETY. 









^Wo Copies Receivefl 

AUG 31 1908 

1^ Ooiiyi'Kia entry 
COPY 8.' 



Copyright, 1892, 

BY 
J. W. RICHARD. 



Copyright, 1908, 

BY THE 
I^UTHERAN PUBI.ICATION SOCIETY. 



PREFACE, 



It is hoped that the present work will be found to supply 
a want in our theological literature. So far as is known to 
the authors, there is no work in English that covers the same 
ground. Yet the interest in liturgies at the present time 
seems to demand a work treating of the principles and forms 
of worship in different ages of the Church. Without this 
general survey of the field, there can hardly be a thoroughly 
intelligent discussion of liturgical questions. It is believed 
that the subject as treated in the present volume will be 
found not only of special interest but also of practical im- 
portance. 

The work is so arranged as to make, in convenient, sum- 
mary form, a history of worship. In German, so rich in 
every department of theological literature, the subject has 
been frequently and ably treated. With the leading German 
authorities in hand, to many of which reference is made in 
this work, there is embarrassment from the abundance of 
materials. While following in the main the general outline 
of German histories of worship, the present work differs 
from them in the omission of unimportant details, in the full- 
ness with which a number of typical liturgies are given, and 
in the relative prominence assigned to worship in the Luth-. 
eran Church. The authors have been less anxious to bring 
forward their own opinions than to furnish the means by 
which others might be enabled to form independent and 
trustAvorthy judgments. 

The Introduction discusses the nature of worship in gen- 
eral, exhibits its fundamental principles as laid down in the 
New Testament, and seeks to determine the proper criteria 

M 



IV PREFACE. 

for judging and constructing orders of worship. This study 
prepares the way for an intelHgent perusal and judgment of 
the principles and forms of worship set forth in the chapters 
that follow. 

The first five chapters are devoted to the era before the 
Reformation. They treat of worship in the Apostolic Church, 
and in post-Apostolic and mediaeval times. The influences 
that corrupted worship and introduced an imposing exter- 
nalism are clearly pointed out. The facts have been given 
wnth as much fullness as the plan of the work would admit, 
and the effort has been made to describe and characterize 
justly the worship of each period. A careful study has been 
made of worship in the Greek Church and the Roman Cath- 
olic Church; and in addition to the exposition of principles, 
a typical Eastern liturgy, that of St. Chrysostom, and the 
Roman Mass, have been given in full. An acquaintance with 
these liturgies is a necessary preparation for the study of t«he 
liturgical forms adopted by the Protestant Church in the 
sixteenth century. 

Much prominence has been given to the principles and 
forms of worship in the Lutheran Church. The great Re- 
formation of the sixteenth century was not only a purifica- 
tion of doctrine, but also a purification of worship. In wor- 
ship as in doctrine, the reformers sought to lead men back 
to the principles of the New Testament. These principles 
are fully and repeatedly stated in Luther's liturgical writ- 
ings, which are here brought together for the first time in an 
English translation. These writings should be studied by all 
persons who would understand not only Lutheran, but also 
Protestant worship, since they present with great clearness 
and in reiterated statement three principles lying at the 
foundation of all evangelical worship, namely : That preach- 
ing and teaching the divine Word is the center of worship; 
that worship is not a meritorious act by which men obtain 
the grace of God ; and that forms of worship must be adapted 
to times and circumstances, since uniformity of ceremonies 
is no proper mark of the unity of the Church. Li addition 



PREFACE. V 

to the liturgical writings of Luther, several great typical 
Lutheran liturgies of the sixteenth century are presented in 
a literal translation. The person who makes himself ac- 
quainted with these forms virtually knows all the forms of 
worship used in the Lutheran Church of the sixteenth and 
seventeenth centuries. 

The chapters on worship in the Reformed Church, in 
which the liturgies of Zwingli, Calvin and Knox are given, 
present matter of special interest. The difference between 
worship in the Reformed Church and worship in the Luth- 
eran Church is clearly indicated. But these chapters have 
not' been written in a polemical spirit. While it is but just 
to both Churches that the difference in worship should be 
fully and fairly stated, the points of agreement are found to 
be far more numerous and far more important. Both 
Churches regard the Word and sacraments as means of 
grace, and make the preaching and teaching of the Word 
the central factor in ordinary public worship. The chief 
difference lies in the emphasis placed on the subjective and 
the objective elements of worship. 

The last two chapters — " The Word in Relation to the 
Other Means of Grace," and '' The Ministry in Relation to 
Worship ■' — treat important subjects, which have not else- 
wdiere been adequately discussed. They are contributed 
upon special request by the Rev. M. Valentine, D. D., LL. 
D., Professor of Didactic Theology in the Theological Semi- 
nary at Gettysburg. They exhibit in every paragraph the 
diligent research, logical arrangement, and thoughtful ex- 
pression that distinguish all the writings of their author. 
For this substantial assistance and for many valuable sug- 
gestions, cordial acknowledgment is here made. 

It only remains to be stated that the authors have worked 
together in entire harmony, and that they share alike the 
responsibility for the contents of the book. So thoroughly 
were the views of each known to the other, and so complete 
was the agreement, that no difficulty was experienced in ar-* 
ranging the plan of the work or in executing its details. 



VI PREFACE. 

While each author has retained his individuahty of style and 
treatment, he has read and cordially approved the work of 
the other. May the result of their joint labors have some 
influence in promoting a truly evangelical worship. 

J. W. Richard, 
F. V. N. Painter. 
September i, i8p2. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

In this second edition of Christian Worship, revised, a few 
typographical errors that had escaped notice in the first edition 
have been corrected, here and there a verbal change has been 
made, and in three places additional historical matter has been 
introduced. No change whatever has been made in the substance 
or sentiment of the book. 

J. W. R. 
F. V. N. P. 
August 5, igo8. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction 9 



CHAPTER I. 
Worship in the Apostolic Church 35 

CHAPTER II. 
Worship in the Age of Constantine 48 

CHAPTER III. 
Worship in the Eastern Church ^ • • 61 

CHAPTER IV. 
Worship in the Western Church 96 

CHAPTER V. 
Worship in the Roman Catholic Church . . . . . 114 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Lutheran Renovation of Worship 143 

CHAPTER VII. 
Luther's Liturgical Writings 159 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The Principles of Evangelical Lutheran Worship . 203 

CHAPTER IX. 

Forms of Lutheran Worship 223 

(vii) 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

PAGE 

Analysis and Exposition of the Lutheran Chief 

Service 253 

CHAPTER XL 
The Morning and Evening Services 271 

CHAPTER Xn. 
Worship in the Reformed Churches 276 

CHAPTER XHL 
Forms of Worship in the Reformed Churches . . . 286 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Recent Liturgical Movements and Tendencies . . . 305 

CHAPTER XV. 

The Word in Relation to the Other Means of Grace . 328 

CHAPTER XVL 
The Ministry in Relation to Worship 344 



CHRISTIAN WORSHIP, 



INTRODUCTION. 

I. Worship may be regarded as an instinct. It is the 
result of man's natural endowments and of his surroundings. 
It is not the invention of priestcraft or the product of ma- 
terial evolution. Man has a spiritual nature; that is, the 
pov^^er to conceive of a Deity and a supernatural v^orld, and 
the capacity to adore, love and trust. In the course of his 
mental development these pov^ers start spontaneously into 
action. By several different paths the mind is led to the 
idea of God. Behind the mutable objects of nature, the 
understanding seeks and finds an unchanging ground; and 
in the presence of obvious design, it recognizes an intelligent 
Creator. Conscious of its v^eakness in the midst of mighty 
and mysterious forces, the heart seeks refuge and rest in an 
over-ruling and loving Father. The feeling for beauty and 
sublimity, for truth and righteousness, finds satisfaction in 
the perfections of God. The imperfections of this virorld — ■ 
its inequalities, sufferings and failures — showr that it is not 
complete in itself, and hence lead to the conception of an- 
other and higher life, in which justice, happiness and per- 
fection alone prevail. 

With the idea of God and a future life in the soul, worship 
is inevitable. It naturally springs out of the relation be- 
tween creature and Creator. In the words of Richter, ''With- 
out God the human soul is lonely throughout eternity; but 
if it has God, then it is united more warmly, more intimately, 
more steadfastly, than by friendship and love. I am then no 
longer alone with my soul. Its great first Friend, the Ever- 

(9) 



lO CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

lasting whom it recognizes, the innate Friend of the inner- 
most spirit, will no more abandon us than we will abandon 
ourselves ; and in the midst of the impure or empty turmoil 
of trifles and sins, on the market-place and the battle-field, I 
stand with closed breast, in which the Supreme and All-holy 
One speaks to me, and reposes before me like a near sun, be- 
hind which the outer world lies in darkness." * In the re- 
fusal of a soul to look up with adoration to the Creator and 
Preserver of all things, we recognize something monstrous. 
It is not strange that we find worship prevailing among all 
peoples. The idea of God may be very obscure or per- 
verted ; the forms of worship may be low and repulsive ; but 
the impulse and capacity are there. Let us listen to the 
words of a heathen writer, whose wisdom gave dignity to a 
life of slavery : " Any one thing in creation is sufficient to 
demonstrate a providence to a humble and grateful mind. 
If we had any understanding, ought we not, both in public 
and private, incessantly to sing and praise the Deity, and re- 
hearse his benefits? Ought we not, whether we dig, or 
plough, or eat, to sing this hymn to God ? ' Great is God, 
who has given us hands and organs of digestion; who has 
given us to grow insensibly, to breathe in sleep.' " f 

Worship is thus seen to originate in the nature and needs 
of the human soul. Christianity encourages, guides, ele- 
vates and sanctifies human worship. It gives us clearer con- 
ceptions of the divine character, especially of the fatherhood 
and love of God. It changes our nature through the new 
birth, and affords us immediate access to God through his 
Son. It gives assurance of being accepted in our worship, 
and encourages prayer by repeated promises that our peti- 
tions will be heard and answered. It brings the gift of the 
Holy Ghost, b)^ whom we fervently say, Abba, Father. It 
blesses us even during our earthly existence with eternal 
life, by bringing us into harmony with the divine character 
and will. When, therefore, it is said that '' Worship springs 

* Levana, § zi- t Discourses of Epictetus, Chap. xi. 



INTRODUCTION. II 

from the congregation, the congregation from the church, 
and the church from Christ," * the order of nature and of 
fact is reversed. Worship springs from the constitution of 
the human soul; and the congregation and the church are 
but aggregations of individuals who had been previously 
called of Christ. 

2. But let us inquire a little more closely into the nature 
of worship. With the knowledge of God that may be de- 
rived from nature, to say nothing of that fuller knowledge 
revealed in the Scriptures, we intuitively discern that wor- 
ship cannot consist merely in the performance of outward 
ceremonies. Appealing only to the light of nature, Paul 
argued with the Athenians : " God that made the world, and 
all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, 
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is wor- 
shiped with men's hands as though he needed any thing, 
seeing that he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things."t 
God spoke directly to the heart of his people when he said 
through his prophet : " I am full of the burnt-offerings of 
rams, and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the 
blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. . . . Bring 
me no more oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; 
the new moons and the Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, 
I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meet- 
ing."J To approach God with merely outward ceremonies, 
or to imagine that there is any efficacy in human rites to 
propitiate his favor — this exhibits great ignorance of the 
divine character. Of far deeper significance must be the 
service that is pleasing to him. The Formula of Concord is 
supported alike by reason and revelation in declaring '' that 
ceremonies or ecclesiastical rites are of themselves neither 
divine worship, nor even any part of divine worship. For it 
is written (Matt. xv. 19) : 'In vain they do worship me, 
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' " § 
In religious worship there are two factors — the divine and 

* Kliefoth's Theorie des Cultus, p. 15. t Acts xvii. 24, 25. 

$Is. i. II, 13. § Formula of Concord, Art. X. 



12 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the human. Man and God meet in the reahii of spirit. 
Worship is essentially a personal communion with God. In 
worship we offer praise, thanksgiving, petition. We con- 
template the excellence of the divine character, the gracious 
work of redemption, the blessing of providential care, and 
the beauty of revealed truth. With love, trust and joy we 
surrender ourselves into the hands of God. On the other 
hand, God bestows upon us the truth of his Word, the grace 
of forgiveness, the enlightening presence of the Holy Spirit, 
and the blessing of advancing sanctification. He draws 
near to us in the relation of a loving Father. The moments 
thus spent in conscious and intimate communion with God 
are the sweetest and holiest experiences of life. Nowhere 
else do we ascend the Mount of Transfiguration. 

It will thus be seen that worship involves reciprocal action. 
Though we cannot separate them in time or in fact, we may 
yet distinguish in worship two elements — what God brings 
to us, and what we bring to God. To these two elements 
various designations have been applied. Speaking of wor- 
ship, Luther says : '' The first part is to accept God's Word 
or through the Word to be instructed. . . . After this, the 
next thing is, when we have heard God's Word, that we also 
thank him."* To the first part he gives the name passive; 
to the other the name active. Again, if we distinguish the 
sources of the two parts of worship, we may designate them 
as objective — what comes to us from God — and subjective 
— what we bring to him. Still another designation, which 
originated with Kliefoth and has since been adopted by 
those in sympathy with his high-church views, is sacramental 
and sacrificial, the first denoting God's gifts to us, and the 
second our gifts to him. These terms seem to be open to 
objection as not being accurately descriptive; and further- 
more, as being liable to misunderstanding. If we recognize 
but two sacraments. Baptism and the Lord's Supper, then 
worship is often without a sacramental element, unless we 
connect a new idea with the term sacramental, and make it 

* Aiislegung iiber den 122 Psalm. 



INTRODUCTION. 1 3 

mean something else than pertaining to a sacrament. And 
the word sacrificial, though properly understood here in a 
eucharistic sense, is apt to carry with it in many minds a 
propitiatory significance — an anti-Protestant and distinct- 
ively Roman Catholic conception. 

But practically too much stress should not be laid on 
these distinctions. Worship is a personal fellowship, a union 
of love ; and when the soul in earnest self-surrender to God 
is lifted up into the blessedness of intercommunion with 
the divine, when it pours forth its confession, petition, praise, 
and at the same time feels the fullness of the divine presence 
and blessing, then all distinctions of active and passive, of 
subjective and objective, are lost in the rapture of a living 
and indivisible worship. 

3. As will be obvious from the foregoing considerations, 
worship is essentially spiritual. Our Saviour's declaration, 
made in opposition to the external services of the Jews and 
the Samaritans, is axiomatic in its convincing truth : " God 
is a spirit ; and they that worship him must worship him in 
spirit and in truth." God no longer manifests himself to 
men in visible form. He operates invisibly in the soul. And 
all the elements of acceptable worship on the part of man — 
love, trust, reverence, gratitude — are affections of the soul. 
Unfortunately with our carnal affections — the strong gravi- 
tation that draws us down from the heights of divine con- 
templation — there is a constant tendency to substitute exter- 
nal ceremonies and the outward service of the lips for the 
high spiritual exercises of the soul in worship. 

But not all outward worship is to be condemned as form- 
alism. When the children of God come together, the 
spiritual worship of the assembly naturally assumes an out- 
ward form. In this way greater unity of thought, feeling 
and purpose is secured. But what forms may spiritual wor- 
ship assume? This is an important question. From the 
nature of the case, we can see that it is possible for the out- 
ward forms to be untrue and injurious — an evil existing in 
the Pharisaic worship of our Saviour's time, and prevailing 



14 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

for many centuries in the Christian Church. Bearing in 
mind the essential nature of worship as communion with 
God, we are able to give to this question a satisfactory 
answer in several particulars. 

The external form of worship should be the product of 
the subjective spirit operating in the light of truth. The 
atmosphere of worship is perfect truth. It is only truth that 
nourishes the soul. Pervaded by divine truth and working 
in the light of revelation, the worshiping spirit should create 
its external forms. Otherwise there will be discord between 
the external and the internal, and perfect worship become 
impossible. The unsanctified reason, aided even by the 
highest aesthetic culture, is incompetent to frame an edifying 
order of service. The natural man receiveth not the things 
of the Spirit of God. Only the spiritual nature can produce 
what its wants require. In arranging a form of service, the 
process should be from within outward. This was the 
method unconsciously pursued by the Apostolic Church. 
While the forms of Christian worship were more or less 
closely connected with the service of the synagogue, they 
were at the same time the natural expression of the new re- 
ligious life. It was not till a later age that false doctrines, 
springing from human weakness and depravity, crept into 
the Church and corrupted worship. Theories of worship are 
interesting from the standpoint of scientific theology ; but it 
is unsafe to construct a liturgy wholly under their influence. 
They work from without inward, and import into the realm 
of the spiritual the hard distinctions of the understanding. 
This appears to be a fault of Loehe's liturgy. The loftiest 
exercises of the soul in the act of worship can no more be 
confined to an extended logical form and sequence than the 
life of the plant can be controlled by the scientific state- 
ments of a botany, or the flights of poetic genius be limited 
by the definitions of rhetoric. There is a vitality in worship 
beyond the reach of logical analysis. 

Again, it is clear that the forms of worship cannot always 
and everywhere be the same. A certain degree of diversity 



INTRODUCTION. 1 5 

is inevitable. Spiritual worship, with its faith, love, adora- 
tion, is a living exercise of the soul; and as such, it will 
vary with different ages, nations, persons, and often, as every 
devout worshiper knows, with the same person at different 
times. This is abundantly confirmed by history. Except 
when uniformity has been secured by outward constraint, as 
in the Roman Catholic Church, there has been great diversity 
of form, covering the immense distance between the simple 
service of Apostolic usage and the exceedingly elaborate 
liturgies of the Eastern Church. The Protestant Church is 
right in placing liturgical forms among the adiaphora or 
things indifferent. '' It is not necessary," says the Augs- 
burg Confession truthfully, " that human traditions, rites or 
ceremonies instituted by men should be alike everywhere." 
The teaching of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of 
England is the same : " It is not necessary that traditions 
and ceremonies be in all places one, or utterly like; for at 
all times they have been divers, and may be changed accord- 
ing to the diversity of countries, times, and men's man- 
ners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word." 

It is the uniform teaching of the Protestant Church that 
like ceremonies are not necessary. To insist on absolute uni- 
formity would be not only to interfere with Christian liberty, 
but also to fetter the worshiping soul. A change of form to 
suit various conditions and periods in the Church's develop- 
ment is as inevitable as it is allowable. The Formula of 
Concord has reason as well as Scripture on its side when it 
says : " Therefore we believe, teach and confess that the 
Church of God of every place and every time has, accord- 
ing to its circumstances, the authority, power and right in 
matters truly adiaphora to change, to diminish and to in- 
crease them, without thoughtlessness and offense, in an or- 
derly and becoming way, as at any time it may be regarded 
most profitable, most beneficial, and the best for good order, 
Christian discipline, and the edification of the Church." * 
All attempts to secure uniformity of liturgical ceremonies 

* Chapter x. 



1 6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

beyond a limited range will be found contrary to the essen- 
tial nature of worship, and will sooner or later end in failure. 
Living worship, like every other life-force, will resist closely 
restrictive forms. It flourishes best in an atmosphere of 
freedom. 

Again, it is obvious from the nature of worship that its 
forms should be simple. The worship of the soul is a con- 
tinuous harmony or communion with the divine nature. It 
is not broken up into separate or fragmentary portions. 
Hence a highly articulated service will not accord with a 
deeply worshipful spirit. It will jar upon the devotional 
feelings, and divert attention from the invisible to the visible, 
from the internal to the external. An outward act of wor- 
ship is not essential. True worship, as has been shown, is 
spiritual. God looks upon the heart. It is in spirit that we 
pray, revere, rejoice, receive the truth, and grow stronger in 
faith and love. It is often helpful to embody these acts and 
sentiments in outward form; but it is the worship of the 
soul that gives the outward form validity. It is a superficial 
view of worship that lays too much stress on the outward 
act. 

To say that without responsive worship the congrega- 
tion " only sits and listens " is ridiculous. To maintain that 
the congregation must divide itself, and engage in responsive 
exercises in order to secure genuine congregational worship, 
is obviously erroneous. In congregational worship, God and 
the people are the agents. To their communion no respon- 
sive service between the minister and the congregation or 
the choir is necessary. Let the people receive the Word and 
sacraments; let them bring their praise, thanksgiving, and 
petition — these are the essential factors. The simple ser- 
vice of the Apostolic Church, which embodied these factors 
in the clearest and directest manner, and not the highly 
wrought forms of the Roman Catholic Church, correspond 
to the truly devotional spirit. A complicated service will be 
found to tend, not to the edifying of the congregation, but 
to the weakening of the devotional feelings, and ultimately 



INTRODUCTION. 1 7 

to mere formalism. Such a service is not the outgrowth of 
the worshipful soul, but of the understanding influenced by 
false theories touching the Church, sacraments and ministry. 
Historically considered, worship will be found to have lost 
in spirituality as it gained in elaborateness of ceremonial. 

4. We are able, from the foregoing considerations, to 
settle a question that has given rise at various times to 
much discussion. Ought the Church to have a liturgy — a 
fixed form of service ? Many have contended that liturgical 
forms are injurious to spiritual worship. But in opposing a 
liturgy, they have generally had in mind an elaborate or 
highly articulated service — the product, not of the devo- 
tional spirit, but of historic exigencies or of the misguided 
understanding. Viewed in this light, their opposition has 
not been groundless. But as we have seen, when the devo- 
tional spirit manifests itself in act, it necessarily gives us an 
external form. As soon as men undertake to worship to- 
gether, they naturally unite in certain acts of devotion em.- 
bodying the objective and subjective elements of worship — 
hearing the word, singing, prayer; and the collective body 
of such acts or forms, whether written or unwritten, consti- 
tutes a liturgy. Thus the Methodist has a liturgy as really 
as the Episcopalian. The difference is not in the fact of a 
form of worship, but in the character of the form. The op- 
posite of a liturgy or fixed form of worship is a free, spon- 
taneous, or arbitrary service. However desirable a free or 
spontaneous service may be under some circumstances, but 
few except Quakers will contend that it would be best for 
ordinary congregational worship. As a matter of fact, 
nearly all Christian churches are liturgical ; the difference is 
in the character of the forms as written or unwritten, sim.ple 
or elaborate, devotional or dogmatic. 

5. Since liturgies, in a broad sense, are almost universal 
in the Christian Church, it is well to consider the criteria by 
which their excellence may be estimated. It may be laid 
down as a fundamental principle that liturgical forms are 
not an end in themselves. Their design is to assist spiritual 



iS CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

worship, and to promote the edification of the worshiping 
assembly. They should be so framed as to give full, free 
and satisfying expression to the devotional feelings. When 
a liturgy fails to harmonize with a devotional state of mind, 
it is defective and hurtful. Furthermore, a liturgy should be 
Scriptural. It should neither contain erroneous statements 
nor in its general structure convey a wrong impression. 
Apart from separate statements, the Roman Catholic liturgy 
'is objectionable as a whole, because its form embodies false 
teaching in regard to the office of the ministry and the sac- 
rament of the Lord's Supper. Again, a liturgy should have 

• adaptation to times and circumstances. Individual and 
^ national traits should not be ignored. Intellectual culture, 

prefvious training, and local prejudices, are to be taken into 
account. A disregard of any of these considerations may 
defeat the great end of public worship — the edifying of the 
congregation and the building up of the kingdom of our 
'Lord. 

Edification, Scriptural truth, and adaptation — these are 

the great criteria by which a liturgy is to be tried. If it fail 

in any one of these particulars, it is to be rejected. But how 

are we to look on the liturgical forms of the past? They 

are many and various. Here two extremes are possible. 

First, a total disregard or contempt for them, under the view 

that they are the outgrowth of ignorant or heretical times. 

Secondly, a superstitious regard for them as the work of the 

'Holy Spirit in the Church. Hence they are regarded as 

" having the authority of divine inspiration. This is the view 

■ of Kliefoth, who calls the ecclesiastical orders of the past, 

' " the work of the whole Church, the fruit of long centuries 

• of labor, the form which Christ has won in the Church/' * 

This doctrine, which erects a new source of authority in 
' the Church, and tyrannizes over the individual conscience, is 
'thoroughly anti-Protestant. In opposition to these erron- 

*Theorie des Cultus, p. 31. Kurtz is therefore right in attributing to 
"Kliefoth, and also to Lohe, who holds the same view, a "Romanizing 
tendency." Church History, Vol. II., p. 373. 



INTRODUCTION. 1 9 

eons views, the proper course is to study the liturgical forms; 
of the past as a basis of clearer insight and sounder judg- 
ment. They teach both by their merits and their defects. 
Perfect gems of devotional prayer and song are sometimes 
found embedded in ledges of erroneous doctrine and absurd 
ceremony. In constructing a new liturgy we should not, any 
more than in doctrine, cut ourselves loose from the past. 
But all liturgical forms, whether of the past or the present., 
should be tried by the great principles of edification, truth,,. 
and adaptation. We may here apply the Apostolic injunc- 
tion, " Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 

There is yet another point that deserves to be considered^' 
in connection with the criteria of liturgical forms. The con- 
gregational worship of God is no longer a secret discipline. 
No official voice now warns the unbeliever, as was donenn a 
former age, to withdraw from the assembly of saints. The 
public service of the sanctuary is no longer designed ttitrely 
for believers. It has, in some measure, a missionary a:im^ 
and indeed is often looked upon as the principal mean-s of 
reaching the unconverted. It is a defective view of ordinary^ 
public worship that excludes therefrom any act or any^ 
presentation of truth that aims at the conversion of the un- 
believing. The edifying of saints and the conversion of sin- 
ners are not necessarily antagonistic. The same truth that 
calls forth praise and thanksgiving from the child of God. 
may also touch and reclaim the lost. 

A modern liturgy, so far as may be consistent with the 
other ends of worship, should be of a ch'aracter to attract 
and benefit those without the Church. Paul recognizedl' 
this principle in relation to the gift of tongues. " If, there- 
fore," he says, *' the whole Church be come 'together in one 
place, and all speak with tongues, and there' come in those 
that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that; 
you are mad?" Hence, desiring that those who believe- 
not should be convinced and brought to a knowledge of 
the truth, the Apostle places a restriction upon the use of 
tongues: "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let 



20 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; 
and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let 
him keep silence in the Church; and let him speak to him- 
self and God." Thus the manner of worship was to be 
modified to suit the needs of the unconverted. 

Likewise Luther, whose religious insight was wonder- 
fully keen, held to the same principle. Indeed he went still 
further than the Apostle, and maintained that the exter- 
nal forms of worship are designed especially to reach and 
impress the unconverted. In his German Mass, which was 
prepared in 1526, and better than any other of his liturgical 
writings presents his matured views in relation to worship, 
he says : " For in a word, we establish such orders not for 
the sake of those who are already Christians, for they need 
none of these things, for which also they do not live; but 
they live for the sake of us, who are not yet Christians, so 
that they may make us Christians, for they have their wor- 
ship in spirit." 

When, therefore, it can be shown that any liturgy is repel- 
lent to those who are not Christians, and that it thus hinders 
the missionary work of the Church, we have a strong reason 
against its use. The conversion of the ungodly is far more 
important than the use of any particular liturgical form of 
human devising. 

6. The objective element of worship is found in the Word 
which also includes the sacraments. The Word is presented 
in the Scripture lessons and in the sermon. 

What Scripture shall we read? To this question several 
answers have been given. On the one hand, the selection 
of these lessons has been left entirely in the hands of the 
minister; on the other, it has been fixed by ecclesiastical 
authority. Each method has its advantages. If the minis- 
ter is free to select his own lesson, he can choose such pas- 
sages as are in harmony with the truth to be presented in 
the sermon, and thus secure unity of thought throughout 
the entire service. There are often special circumstances 
that render one passage of Scripture more appropriate than 



INTRODUCTION. 21 

another ; and when the minister is free, he can wisely adapt 
the lessons to the particular needs of the congregation. Yet, 
without great care, his selections will lack symmetry, and not 
bring out the full range of divine revelation. 

The reading of prescribed selections as appointed in the 
Pericope insures variety, and secures adaptation to the chief 
Christian festivals. The leading facts in the history of 
redemption are brought out in systematic order. But to 
allow of no other selections, or always to require these 
passages, is hardly defensible. The Pericope in ordinary 
use, which dates in its complete form from the time of 
Charlemagne, is not faultless. Luther criticised it on the 
ground that it unduly magnifies works to the obscuring of 
faith. Other critics have discovered an absence of system 
in at least a part of the selections. The passages prescribed 
in the Pericope are often strikingly at variance with the 
subject of the sermon. This discord, it is true, may be 
prevented by always preaching from the Gospel or Epistle 
for the day. But such an arrangement seriously fetters the 
pulpit. It interferes with the adaptation of the sermon 
to times and circumstances. Apostolic usage was free ; and 
if we refer to the principle of edification, it is opposed to the 
absolute restriction of ministerial liberty in this particular. 

The manner of reading is worthy of attention. The 
Scripture lessons contain divine truth; and the object in 
reading them is to bring that truth to bear upon the mind 
and heart of the worshiper. The distinction sometimes 
made between the liturgical and the homiletic use of the 
Scriptures is based upon a misconception of the real nature 
of worship. The efificacy of the divine Word is in the truth, 
which the Holy Spirit uses to regenerate and sanctify men. 
Hence the reading of Scripture should be in that manner, 
which best brings out the divine message. There should be 
no dramatic affectation, no unnatural and stupid drawl. In- 
toning and chanting, which were the outgrowth of formal- 
ism, are here violations of reason and taste. With forgetful- 
ness of self and with the solemnity of earnestness, the min- 



22 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ister should communicate the revelation of God to the hearts 
and minds of the people. The truth of God is most effective 
when brought clearly and impressively to the intelligence of 
men. This was evidently the manner of Jesus and of Paul. 

The sermon is divine truth as apprehended and spoken by 
a regenerated person. It is the principal means of extend- 
ing the kingdom of God in the world. It is the chief func- 
tion of the ministry, and the reason of the divine institution 
of that office. No other part of our Saviour's life is so prom- 
inent as his preaching. It was by preaching that the Apos- 
tles spread the Gospel during the first century. It was 
chiefly through preaching that the Reformation of the six- 
teenth century was effected, and that Protestantism has been 
carried around the globe. Through a spirit of formalism 
and a magnifying of the sacrifice of the Mass, preaching had 
for many ages fallen into neglect. It is a part of the glory 
of the Reformers that they restored the sermon to its 
proper place in the Church. 

The attempt has been made to separate preaching and 
worship. This attempt has grown out of a false estimate of 
written liturgical forms, and a misapprehension of the nature 
of the sermon. As conveying truth from God to man, it 
clearly belongs to the objective side of worship. It is prop- 
erly regarded as the principal part of worship. This was its 
place in the Apostolic Church, and in the reformatory move- 
ment of the sixteenth century. In his " Order of Divine 
Worship in the Congregation," Luther points out the ab- 
sence of preaching as one of the three great abuses in the 
IRoman Church, and declares " that the Christian congrega- 
tion should never assemble, except the Word of God be 
Tpreached " ; and in the German Mass he says that " in all 
'worship the greatest and principal part is to preach and 
teach God's Word." In harmony with this view, Melanch- 
thon declares that "the greatest, holiest, most necessary, 
and highest divine service, which God in the first and second 
command has enjoined as greatest, is to preach God's Word, 



INTRODUCTION. 23 

for the office of the ministry is the highest office in the 
Church." * 

We are now prepared to understand the Romanizing 
tendency of Lohe, who displaces the pulpit by the altar,- 
and like the Roman Catholic makes the Sacrament the chief 
thing in worship. In the Preface to the first edition of the 
'' Agende," he says : " The liturgical development running 
through public worship I would compare to a mountain with 
two peaks, of which one, like Horeb and Sinai, is lower than 
the other. The first peak is the sermon, the second is the 
sacrament of the altar, without which Lean conceive of no 
complete worship on earth." And in the Preface to the 
second edition, referring to the foregoing passage, he says: 
" If I had again to give an explanation, I would now assign 
a still higher plaice to the Last Supper." With these views, 
which appear to be both un-Lutheran and anti-Protestant, it 
is not strange that his liturgy in its several parts and 
arrangement is almost identical with the Roman M^ss. 

The Protestant Church, and especially the Lutheran 
Church, look upon the Word and sacraments as the ordi- 
nary means of g-race — the media through which God com- 
municates his blessings. The Word, however, comes first; 
for without the Word the sacraments could neither be un- 
derstood nor exist. The Word is essential in Christian wor- 
ship ; the sacraments are not essential, and as a matter of 
fact are usually wanting. By common consent the great 
body of Protestant Christians celebrate the communion only 
at considerable' intervals. 

Yet the communion of the Lord's' Supper is a rite of 
great solemnity. It embodies in its significance the en- 
tire atoning work of our Lord. In it he comes peculi- 
arly near to his people. How shall it be celebrated? In 
the Apostolic Church it was celebrated with great sim- 
plicity in imitation of the manner of its institution. How 
impressive and touqhing the simple record of the Evan- 
gelist : " And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and, 
* Apologie der Confession, VTU. 



24 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

blessed, and brake it, and gave it to his disciples, and said. 
Take, eat; tliis is my body. And he took the cup and gave 
thanks, and gave to them, saying. Drink ye all of it, for this 
is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many 
for the remission of sins." The simplicity of the language 
and action, freighted as they are with infinite meaning, ren- 
ders the original rite sublime. In comparison with it, how 
impoverished appears a complex ceremonial ! 

But men have not been satisfied with this original sim- 
plicity. Many, indeed, are not capable of appreciating its 
beauty, and stigmatize its simplicity as *' baldness." Though 
from the standpoint of taste and devotion, nothing can sur- 
pass the simple liturgy of the institution, some additions 
may be justified on the principle of edification. As Luther 
points out in the German Mass, the time for an ideal Chris- 
tian worship has not yet come; and meanwhile we must 
accommodate ourselves to human imperfections. A pref- 
ace or introduction may serve to concentrate the mind upon 
the important rite, and to stimulate sluggish minds to de- 
votion. Even an admonition may be useful in reminding 
us of our duty, and of the spirit with which we should 
come to the Lord's Table. But the additions should be few 
in number, and accordant with Scripture. In the distribu- 
tion of the elements no form of expression — no dogmatic 
statements or extempore exhortations — can be so fitting as 
the words of the Lord himself. And the closing part of the 
service should not be so complex — so '' richly articulated " 
— as to necessitate an active exercise of the intellectual 
powers while the breathings of thanksgiving and prayer are 
rising warm from the heart. 

Prayer is direct personal communication with God. It 
belongs to the subjective element of worship. In prayer we 
offer praise and thanksgiving, make confession of sin, and 
invoke temporal and spiritual blessings. In the best sense 
of the word, prayer is impossible to the unbeliever. At the 
best his prayer can be only an agonizing cry for help wrung 
from him by some impending danger. The modern objec- 



INTRODUCTION. 25 

tions to prayer are without adequate foundation. The Being 
who made the world can still operate in and upon it. Prayer 
is a duty repeatedly urged in the New Testament, and en- 
couraged by the most precious promises. We are incited to 
prayer by the example of Christ and his Apostles. But 
even without Scripture warrant, it has a basis in our de- 
pendent and helpless condition in the world. It is the spon- 
taneous utterance of a mind that loves and trusts the Su- 
preme Being. 

The essential nature of prayer indicates with clearness 
what its form should be. Prayer is addressed to God. This 
fact excludes all exhortation, rebuke, persuasion, or instruc- 
tion intended for the people. Its tone should not be light 
and flippant, but deeply serious and reverent. Offered in 
the name of the congregation, it should comprehend only 
such elements of praise, thanksgiving, confession and petition 
as are common to the congregation. The minister's per- 
sonal experiences and wants should be reserved for his 
private devotions. Prayer should not be a mere empty 
form. It should come directly from the heart, and have the 
tone of deep and genuine feeling. There is a holy delight 
in pouring out freely before God the thoughts and feelings 
of a soul warmed with divine love. Such were the prayers 
of the Apostles and the primitive Church. 

The use of written forms was a device of a later age, and 
formed a part of the elaborate ceremonial which a spirit of 
formalism, in imitation of the Jewish Church, imposed upon 
Christianity. Yet fixed forms of prayer are not without 
some justification. Considered from an artistic standpoint, 
they secure greater perfection of form. They are apt to 
be more comprehensive in scope, and more condensed and 
beautiful in expression. The congregation is better able to 
unite in the pra3^er. To some persons who are lacking in 
fluency and fervor, they supply a real want. But without 
condemning the use of fixed forms, we find that they are 
exceptional in character, springing not from the essential 
nature of prayer, but from the needs of particular persons 



26 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

or from a spirit of formalism. The world will never be 
converted by fixed forms of prayer, nor by the men that 
habitually use them. 

Singing has always occupied a prominent place in Chris- 
tian worship. Psalnis and hymns and spiritual songs were 
in use among Christians of the Apostolic age. The finest 
thoughts and feelings of the heart find expression in poetry, 
and melody is peculiarly fitted to give them utterance. 
Hymns are valuable as a means to stimulate devotion, and 
to impart spiritual truth. They appeal to a part of our 
nature beyond the reach of the logical faculties. The 
Roman Catholic who said that Luther had accomplished as 
much by his hymns as by his sermons, had an adequate 
conception of the power of wedded poetry and music. 
Hymns promote the completest harmony in congregational 
worship. Along with identity of thought and feeling, they 
thoroughly harmonize in pitch and time the voices of the 
worshiping assembly. Singing should not be delegated to a 
choir, but should be entered into heartily by the congrega- 
tion. 

In church hymnody two things are to be considered — the 
words and the tune. A hymn should be short and complete 
in itself. It should be correct in thought and sentiment. It 
should rise above versified prose, and yet not lose itself in 
vague tunefulness. While tender, it should not be weak and 
sentimental; and while clear and strong, it should not be 
coarse and low. It should in no sense be discordant with its 
high use as a part of divine worship. The objection some- 
times urged against the reading of hymns is not altogether 
well founded. To be sure, the reading is often very im- 
perfect. It may even be regarded as interrupting the course 
of worship. But inasmuch as many persons in the congre- 
gation are often without hymn-books, the reading of the 
hymn is the only means of acquainting them with its con- 
tents, and thus of enabling them to enter into its devotional 
sentiment. Besides this, the effective reading of a hymn is 
an excellent way to impress religious truth and feeling. 



INTRODUCTION. 27 

The same general principles apply to the melody of 
hymns. The melodies should not be light and frivolous, 
suggestive of worldly pleasure. They should not be sen- 
sual in their nature. If Plato thought it wise to exclude 
from his ideal republic all melodies that, were likely to 
undermine the character, much more should they be ex- 
cluded from the kingdom of heaven. The music should be 
serious and elevated. It should harmonize with the sacred 
moments when the soul is in communion with its Maker. 
Yet we should not forget the principle of adaptation and 
edification. What is profitable for edification at one time 
and place may not be so at another. An absence of musi- 
cal taste or of habits of devotion may for a time justify the 
use of melodies which, if judged by abstract, ideal standards, 
would be found objectionable. 

7. Worship implies time and place. In the early Church 
w^orship was held chiefly in private houses. Individual 
Christians often placed their houses at the service of the 
congregation in their city or locality. This practice ex- 
plains such passages as the following : " Greet Priscilla and 
Aquila. . . . Likewise the church in their house." But as 
the Church grew in numbers and in wealth, special buildings 
were erected, at first plain, and afterwards more magnifi^ 
■cent, in rivalry with heathen temples, and in harmony with 
the imposing external character which the Church had as- 
sumed. The service of art was called into requisition. 

The question has arisen whether this is allowable ? It has 
been opposed by a stern simplicity. But as we have already 
seen, religion involves the aesthetic sense. Our natural love 
for the beautiful finds its supreme satisfaction in God. It is 
not, therefore, inconsistent with the essential nature of re- 
ligion to utilize architecture, painting and music in worship. 
Though they are not specifically authorized in the New Tes- 
tament, they are not contrary to its spirit. To be sure, art 
in religion is a relatively unimportant matter. Yet, within 
certain limits, it may be made an aid to spiritual worship. 
We are sensitive to our surroundings. Splendid architec- 



28 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ture, as in the Madeleine or Westminster Abbey; the ocean 
tones of a mighty organ filling the vast spaces with floods of 
harmony ; magnificent frescoes of the Crucifixion or the Last 
Judgment — all exalt the soul and dispose it to worship. 
They impress us with a sense of the divine majesty, and of 
our dependence upon God. 

It is to the credit of Luther that he did not reject the 
fine arts. It is possible to go too far in rejecting archi- 
tecture, painting and music. A frigid simplicity of en- 
vironment is not the most genial atmosphere for the finest 
feelings of the soul. We may here learn a lesson from 
nature. The world, which is the great temple of God, 
is filled with beauty. It is not the cheerlessness of a 
bleak winter day, but the smiling landscape of spring — the 
verdant plain, the majestic mountain, the glorious sky — 
that calls forth deep, spontaneous thanksgiving to God. But 
in associating art with religion, there is danger of going too 
far. What is intended as only a very subordinate means is 
apt to become an end. It sometimes leads to a great waste 
of money, and begets an alienation of the poorer classes of 
society. Unlike secular art, which aims at pleasure. Chris- 
tian art has the far higher end of edification, by which it 
ought to be governed in all particulars. 

Under the Christian dispensation all times are holy unto- 
the Lord. The Christian's whole life is to be one of con- 
secrated service. But following Apostolic usage, which 
rested on divine appointment, the Church has observed 
Sunday as a special day of worship. The Church year is. 
not sanctioned by Apostolic usage. It has in its favor the 
practice of the ancient Jews, from whom the idea was, per- 
haps, derived. But we should be careful in adopting in the 
Christian Church the ceremonial usages of the old dispensa- 
tion. The observance of times and seasons may be carried 
to an extreme, and gradually drift into a dead formalism — 
the mechanical performance of outward ceremonies. There 
can be no reasonable objection to commemorating the lead- 
ing events in our Saviour's life as they annually return — ^his 



INTRODUCTION. 29 

* 
birth, death, resurrection, gift of the Holy Spirit, and as- 
cension. Such commemoration affords an opportunity for 
the devout contemplation of the leading facts of our religion. 
It has the sanction of Church usage as early as the second 
and third centuries. But to multiply these festivals, to as- 
sign a saint to every day in the year, as the Roman Catholic 
Church has done, betrays a spirit of formalism. As in the 
case of the Pharisees, there is danger that the spirit of wor- 
ship will be swallowed up in outward ceremonies. Luther 
was right, when he came to reform public worship, in reject- 
ing all but five or seven of the leading festivals of the 
Church. And to insist upon the observance of the Church 
year under the penalty of ecclesiastical censure in any form, ' 
is anti-Protestant. It raises into a binding law a human or- 
dinance, which from its very nature should be free. This 
was the position of Luther, who left the observance of the 
Church year free. 

8. There are various influences that tend to develop an 
elaborate liturgy. This fact is clearly brought out in the 
history of liturgies, and needs to be borne in mind in judg- 
ing of any particular form. When the Church is viewed, not 
as a communion or congregation of saints, but as a visible 
organization under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in its 
regulations, then it is natural to surround its rulers and 
princes with more or less pomp, to accept its ordinances as 
having the authority of inspiration, and practically to deny 
the sufficiency of the Scriptures. Thus Kliefoth declares 
that '' the New Testament contains neither directions for 
worship, nor a developed form of worship, nor finally decla- 
rations which may be taken as fundamental principles for a 
theory of worship."* When the universal priesthood of 
Christians is forgotten, and the ministers of the Church are 
regarded as a separate class or caste, elevated above the 
laity and exercising lordship over them by immediate divine 
right, then we may expect the introduction of clerical vest- 
ments, the assumption of arbitrary authority, and the de- 

* Theorie des Cultiis, p. 6. 



30 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

• 
velopment of elaborate ceremonies. When the sacraments- 

are looked upon as possessing magical efficacy in them- 
selves, or when they are considered the principal and essen- 
tial part of worship, then they are apt to become the object 
of a superstitious regard, and envelop themselves in elabo- 
rate forms. False views of the Church, of the priesthood, 
and of the sacraments — these are the influences which, in 
connection with Jewish and heathen forms, have been the 
leading sources of the lengthy and complicated liturgies of 
the past. They have not been the offspring of truth under 
the Holy Spirit, but of falsehood. It is this fact that justi- 
fied the reformation of worship in the sixteenth century, and 
that forbids their re-establishment in the Church of to-day. 
The opposite process — the reflex influence of forms of 
worship upon belief — is to be noted. As has been shown, 
liturgical forms may be the outgrowth of particular views of 
the Church, priesthood, and sacraments. Hence it follows 
that the habitual use of these forms will tend to beget and 
foster the doctrinal views embodied in them. When the 
worshiper sees the representatives of the Church surrounded 
with the insignia and ceremony pertaining to earthly princes, 
he naturally comes to think of the Church as an outward 
organization. When he sees its ministers distinguished by a 
peculiar garb, performing the offices of an imposing ritual, 
and imitating the words and acts of Jewish or heathen 
priests, he easily comes to think of them as constituting a 
special priestly class. When the administration of the sac- 
raments is attended with expressions and ceremonies that 
indicate a magical efficacy, he is readily brought to regard 
them with superstitious reverence. Thus it is in the power 
of liturgical formularies to mould the faith of the Church in 
several important particulars. It is a great mistake to sup- 
pose that liturgies have no doctrinal significance. They 
may be made, and have been made, the insidious means of 
teaching error. While we carefully scrutinize the structure 
of the liturgies that are proposed for our acceptance, it is 
well to study also their doctrinal significance, and inquire 



INTRODUCTION. 3 1 

into the views of their authors touching the Church, the min- 
istry, and the sacraments. 

9. The Church begins with individuals, who are united to 
Christ by faith and love. To him as Lord they are individ- 
ually responsible. They are his stewards; to them he has 
com.municated his will in his Word; and to him alone they 
have to render an individual account. There is no mediat- 
ing agency between the Christian and God, to whom he has 
immediate access through Christ. The special priesthood 
has been abolished in the universal priesthood. In union 
with others, a Christian may surrender certain rights for the 
common good; but no single person or collection of per- 
sons has otherwise a divine right to exercise coercive au- 
thority over him. This is the great truth set forth by the 
Saviour himself: '* One is your Master, even Christ; and all 
ye are brethren."* To the coercive authority of every San- 
hedrim, whether ancient or modern, the individual Christian 
may say with Peter, " We ought to obey God rather than 
men.''T 

This truth was recognized by Luther at that supreme 
Jiioment in modern history, when standing before the 
highest secular and ecclesiastical powers of the world 
he declared : '' Except I can be convinced by Holy Scrip- 
ture, or by clear and indisputable reasons from other sources 
(for I cannot defer simply to the Pope or to Councils, since 
it is clear that they have often erred), I neither can nor will 
retract anything. . . . My conscience is a prisoner to God's 
Word ; and no one can be compelled to act against his con- 
science. Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise. God help 
me. Amen." H we do not recognize the independence of 
the individual soul, enlightened by the Spirit and Word of 
God, then we cut away the ground from under the feet of 
the Reformers of the sixteenth century. Without this indi- 
vidual liberty, they had no right to attack the Church in its 
recognized visible organization; and Protestantism, instead 
of being a great Reformation, degenerates into what the 
* Matt, xxiii. 5. fActs v. 29. 



32 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Roman Catholic regards it — an unholy and indefensible 
schism. 

The next step in the formation of the visible Church is 
the congregation. This is a body of individual Christians 
who have united in an organization bound together by rules 
and regulations of their own appointment. Certain individ- 
ual rights are surrendered for the common good. The 
formation of such an organization is not, however, an arbi- 
trary matter. The reason for it is found in human nature, 
in Christian aims, and in the divine will. As social beings, 
and also as spiritual brethren, it is natural for the Christians 
of a community to unite in a body. Inasmuch as union 
^ives strength, they are thus able to carry forward the work 
of the Master to better advantage. And furthermore, Christ 
has promised special blessings to congregational worship, 
and evidently had in mind such organizations when he insti- 
tuted the sacraments. Under ordinary circumstances, there- 
fore, a Christian is under obligation to unite with a congre- 
gation, and to submit to its regulations. Only when the 
regulations are unscriptural or injurious to his religious life, 
is it permissible for him to remain aloof; and in that case 
he should seek connection with a body whose regulations 
are Scriptural and helpful. 

It is to be noted that the natural and apostolic constitu- 
tion of the visible Church is democratic. A monarchical 
form of government was imposed upon it at a later age. It 
is not, as the Roman Catholic believes, the priesthood that 
constitutes the Church, but the great body of individual 
believers. Until it has united with some larger organization 
and voluntarily surrendered some of its rights, the congre- 
gation is the source of ecclesiastical authority. It is for the 
congregation to choose pastors, to decide upon modes of 
church work, and to select its forms of worship. For the 
minister or for any other ecclesiastical power to do this, 
independently of the people and against their will, is an un- 
reasonable and unscriptural usurpation of authority. In 
accordance with these views the Formula of Concord says : 



INTRODUCTION. .^^ 

" We believe, teach, and confess that the Church of every 
place and every time has the power, according to its circum- 
stances, to change such ceremonies, in sucli manner as may 
be most useful and edifying to the Church of God."* Again : 
"Likewise, the article concerning Christian liberty is also 
here at stake, to preserve which the Holy Ghost so earnestly 
charged his Church through the mouth of his holy Apostle. 
For as soon as this is weakened and the ordinances of men 
are urged with compulsion upon the Church, as though they 
were necessary and their omission were wrong and sinful, 
the way is already prepared for idolatry, whereby the ordi- 
nances of men are gradually multiplied and regarded as a 
service of God, not only equal to the ordinances of God, but 
are even placed above them." f 

The congregations of a district or country generally unite 
in a larger organization. No divine law has been prescribed 
in this matter, and the congregations are free to select that 
form of organization which under the circumstances will in 
their judgment best advance the interests of our Saviour's 
kingdom. As a matter of fact, various forms of organiza- 
tion — congregational, synodical, and episcopal — have been 
adopted at different times and places. None of them, how- 
ever, can justly lay claim to divine authority. These organ- 
izations are beneficial in carrying on the general work of 
the Church — planting missions, promoting education, estab- 
lishing publishing houses, and organizing other agencies for 
Christian work and the spread of the Gospel. Never was 
the efficiency of these general bodies seen to better advan- 
tage than in this practical age. 

But these larger ecclesiastical organizations are not with- 
out their danger. It is not the visible, but the invisible 
Church that is the organ of the Holy Spirit. The visible or- 
ganizations of the Church are subject to human imperfec- 
tions. They sometimes come under the control of men of 
erroneous doctrine or unholy ambition, and the attempt is 
made to bring the Church into party or personal subjection. 
* Chap. X., Part I. f Chap, x., Part II. 

3 



34 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

The only safeguard against this danger is the principle of 
Christian liberty — a principle dear to the Reformers — ac- 
cording to Avhich local congregations, unless they have vol- 
untarily surrendered this prerogative, have the right to regu- 
late their own ordinances and ceremonies. 



CHAPTER I. 

WORSHIP IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. 

In studying this subject it is important to have a clear 
idea of the Christian Church as presented in the New Testa- 
ment. As Guericke has truly remarked, in speaking of the 
Church, " Its external phase or constitution and worship is, 
for the most part, the necessary fruit and effect of the inner 
principle of doctrine and creed." There exists at present, 
in parts of the Protestant Church, a tendency to revive and 
emphasize the ecclesiasticism which sprang up in the post- 
apostolic age, and afterwards found complete realization in 
the Church of Rome. Accordingly, the external organiza- 
tion of the Church is made prominent, its ministers are re- 
garded as a priestly class or caste, and even in its outward 
form it is considered the organ of the Holy Spirit. In this 
way the doctrine, government, and forms of worship prevail- 
ing in the third and fourth centuries are held to be, under 
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a legitimate development 
of primitive Christianity. 

The tendency of this ecclesiasticism is thoroughly anti- 
Protestant. It is in conflict with that fundamental principle 
of the Reformation which makes the Scriptures the supreme 
authority in religious faith and practice. It creates a new 
source of binding authority for the Church of the present 
day. It prepares the way, in spite of all denials, for an 
easy transition to Romanism — a truth sufficiently exem- 
plified in connection with the Oxford Tractarian movement 
in England. Our only security, in the presence of this 
dangerous tendency, is to emphasize afresh the Protestant 
principle of the full normative authority of the sacred Scrip- 
tures. Only the Apostolic Church should be recognized as 
having binding authority for subsequent times, for it alone 

(35) 



36 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

was under the direction of divinely inspired teachers and 
law-givers. 

What is the idea of the Church as presented in the New 
Testament? We consider it only in its essential character. 
Christ came into the world to lead men from sin to right- 
eousness. By faith in his name, we become participants in 
his redemption, and are born again into a new life of holi- 
ness. Our hearts go out in love to him. Now the Church 
may be defined as the collective body of those who are 
united to Christ by a living faith, which manifests itself by 
love and obedience. It is essentially an invisible, spiritual 
body. An outward organization is not necessary to its ex- 
istence ; and, as a matter of fact, it never has been united in 
a single visible organization. The Roman Church, the near- 
est realization of a single outward organization, never com- 
prehended the entire spiritual Church on earth. 

But while the Church is essentially a spiritual body, it nat- 
urally manifests its presence in a visible manner. It is a liv- 
ing, active power. In the midst of a hostile environment, it 
seeks to maintain its life. The conduct of its representatives 
presents a striking contrast with the lives of worldly men. 
With the weight of a divine command resting upon it, and 
with the consciousness of possessing an ineffable treasure, it 
labors to reclaim, save, and sanctify men. To these ends it 
proclaims the truth in its possession, and celebrates the rites 
enjoined by its divine Founder. In its outward organization, 
the Church is affected by human imperfections and sin. It is 
subject to discord, divisions and errors — evils that mani- 
fested themselves even in the days of the apostles. To con- 
found the visible with the spiritual and invisible Church is 
the source of much error, narrowness and intolerance. 

In accord with this essential idea of the Church, the organ- 
ization, government, and worship of the Apostolic churches 
were very simple. With the coming of Christ the Old Dis- 
pensation had its fulfillment. Its types and shadows there- 
fore gave place to the reality. The temple service, with its 
typical persons and rites, its mediating priesthood, its signi- 



WORSHIP IN THE APOSTOUC CHURCH, l"] 

ficant vestments, its altars and sacrifices, found no place in 
the new Church. Hence it is a mistake to import into the 
Christian Church the ideas that belong only to the Mosaic 
dispensation. While many principles of acceptable worships 
valid for all time, may be found in the Old Testament, we 
should carefully distinguish them from the directions per- 
taining to the temple and tabernacle service, which as a 
shadow of good things to come was to last only for a time. 
" The whole system of the Old Testament," says Luther,. 
" with its external divine service, has been abolished, as it 
was not able to produce such obedience and such willing 
worshipers. And although such external worship, sacrifice, 
and work had been commanded this people therein, yet these 
things have not pleased God in those who have not had a 
knowledge of Christ and faith. . . . Therefore have they 
ceased of themselves since Christ came, and creates through 
the Gospel new worshipers and a new service, which does 
not consist in external movements and gestures, but is found 
internally in the heart — a service that does not consist in 
dead types, but in a new nature and a new life."* 

In the New Testament there is no trace of a sacerdotal 
idea connected with the ministry. A marvelous equality 
prevailed. '* One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are 
brethren." The New Testament conception of the Church 
leaves no place for a priesthood. Christ is the sole medi- 
ator between God and man; and through him all believers 
have access to God. The ministry is a divinely appointed 
office of teaching in the Church. It declares the Gospel of 
Christ, and assists in the government of the Church. By 
precept and example ministers are to seek the edification of 
believers and the conversion of sinners. They are commis- 
sioned to declare the truth ; hence Paul exhorts, " Preach 
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, re- 
buke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching." They 
possess no authority that entitles them to be ** lords over 
God's heritage." They are what their name indicates — not 
* Auslegung tiber den no Psalm. 



38 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

priests, but ministers. They are the chief representatives of 
a local church; but they occupy this position only by the 
free choice of the congregation. Their authority rests, not 
upon an outward sacerdotal descent or appointment, but 
upon fidelity to the truth and purity of life, to which they 
have been divinely called. It is a spiritual office, not dis- 
tinguished by official vestments or worldly pomp, but by the 
higher insignia of a pure, helpful, loving heart. 

The position of the laity in the Apostolic Church deserves 
more than a passing notice. It has its lesson for our time. 
The primitive Church was a democracy. With the sacrifice 
of Christ the vail of the Temple was rent in twain, and away 
of access to the mercy-seat was opened to the people. The 
true followers of Christ, without distinction, became, in the 
language of Peter, " a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 
an holy nation, a peculiar people." Instead of animal sac- 
rifices offered at stated intervals, their whole life became a 
divine service. In special worship they offered the spiritual 
sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. God became the cen- 
tral thought in life. '' Whether therefore ye eat or drink," 
urged the Apostle, " or whatsoever ye do, do all to the 
glory of God." Their joy in the Gospel begot a strong 
community of feeling. The sense of brotherhood as fellow- 
believers in Christ overbalanced all other distinctions. For 
a time all things were held in common. With the exception 
of women, every Christian, by virtue of his priesthood, was 
allowed to teach in the Church. There were no functions 
:specially reserved for ministerial or clerical hands. But for 
the general welfare, it was soon found expedient to place 
duly-elected officers at the head of the separate congrega- 
tions. These officers were presbyters or bishops — different 
names for the same office — and deacons. They were men 
distinguished by self-restraint, holiness of life, and aptness 
in teaching and administration. Though often nominated 
by the Apostles or by their representatives, these officers 
were always elected or at least approved by the people. 
Each church enjoyed great liberty. Faith, love, obedience 



WORSHIP IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. 39 

— these were the essential things; after which the people 
enjoyed great freedom in external matters. No form of 
church government and no ritual of worship was prescribed 
by Apostolic authority. Every congregation was free to 
choose its teachers, make its regulations, and determine its 
forms of worship. In the fervor of their devotion and love, 
the first Christians met very frequently — sometimes daily — 
for the purpose of worship. Among Jewish Christians both 
the Sabbath and the Lord's day, and among Gentile Chris- 
tians, the Lord's day only, were observed with special solem- 
nity. No other festivals appear to have been observed — 
their introduction belonging to a later date. 

In some measure the worship of the Apostolic Church 
was modeled upon the synagogue service. The temple 
system, with its sacerdotal class, its visible altars, and out- 
ward sacrifices, was discarded. A spiritual service was 
henceforth to take the place of a ceremonial service. " The 
service and worship of the temple being abolished as being 
ceremonial," says Lightfoot, " God transplanted the wor- 
ship and public adoration of God used in the synagogues, 
which was moral, into the Christian Church, to wit : the pub- 
lic ministry, the public prayers, reading God's Word, and 
preaching, etc. Hence the names of the ministers were the 
very same." The simplicity and freedom of the synagogue 
service — consisting chiefly of prayer, song, reading and ex- 
position of the Scriptures — was well adapted in the main 
to the spiritual wants of Christianity. Though some differ- 
ence may be discovered between the worship of Jewish 
and Gentile Christians, it was essentially the same both in 
form and spirit. At first there were no special buildings, 
and the congregation assembled at private houses. There 
were no prescribed liturgical forms. The sacraments were 
administered in the simple manner of their institution. 
Christianity was felt as a new life, in the presence of which 
external forms counted for little or nothing. " There is in 
the New Testament," says Jacob, '' no trace of Christian 
worshipers turning to the east in their prayers, or other parts 



40 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

of their service; though this practice appears at the begin- 
ning of the third century, and was probably begun much 
earher. Neither is the use of incense or lamps or candles, as 
sacred or symboHcal accompaniments in any Christian cere- 
mony, to be found in the ApostoHc age ; nor does it appear 
that Christian ministers then wore any peculiar dress or 
official vestments in any of their ministrations. All these 
came in at a later period, and were derived from Jewish or 
heathen practices, as the Church, having lost the fullness 
and freshness of Apostolic truth, learned from such objec- 
tionable sources to affect a more elaborate ceremonial, and to 
court an aesthetic display, quite foreign to the devout sim- 
plicity of the Apostolic age."* 

The worship of the Apostolic Church was based on prin- 
ciples laid down by its great Founder. In the New Testa- 
ment Jesus appears as a reformer. Both in doctrine and in 
worship he recurs, as occasion requires, to fundamental 
principles. While he took part in the service of the Temple 
and synagogue, he recognized their temporary character. 
At this time the Rabbinical law had burdened religion with 
an almost incredible number of rites and ceremonies. The 
rules of the Rabbis often descended to ridiculous details. 
There was tithing of mint, anise and cummin; the washing 
of pots and cups; the arrangement of phylacteries, tassels, 
and straps. With this mechanical piety, which consisted in 
the scrupulous observance of external rites, Jesus had no 
sympathy. He pointedly condemned the excessive multi- 
plication of ceremonies with which the Pharisees, at a period 
of spiritual decline, had burdened the worship of the people. 
Hence he said to them : " Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias 
prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh to me 
with their mouth; but their heart is far from me. But in 
vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the com- 
mandments of men." With this sweeping declaration he 
clears away the parasitic ceremonies that had fastened them- 
selves upon the divine service appointed of God. 

* The Ecclesiastical Polity of the New Testament, p. 214. 



WORSHIP IN THE APOSTOI.IC CHURCH. 4 1 

The fundamental principle of Christian worship was set 
forth by our Saviour at the well of Samaria. The Samari- 
tan woman, recognizing in Jesus a prophet of the Lord, 
said to him : '' Our fathers worshiped in this mountain ; 
but ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought 
to worship." It was an old question. For four hundred 
years the Samaritans had worshiped on the mountain close 
by. Our Saviour's answer is clear and explicit. As be- 
tween the Jews and the Samaritans, he gives the preference 
to the former; but at the same time his gaze sweeps over 
coming ages, and takes in the spiritual kingdom he came to 
establish. " Jesus saith unto her. Woman, believe me, the 
hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet 
at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not 
what : we know what we worship, for salvation is of the 
Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true wor- 
shipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth : for 
the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit; 
and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in 
truth." This is a clear and far-reaching statement, the truth 
of which is intuitively recognized. It shows the vanity of 
all outward ceremonies, except as they may be the outgrowth 
of spiritual needs or institutions of divine appointment. 

The end of public worship, as indicated in the New Testa- 
ment, harmonizes with the purpose of the Gospel itself. It 
is not a ceremony that has value in and for itself. With the 
Christian dispensation, external ceremonies, as works pleas- 
ing to God, have been supplanted by internal acts and senti- 
ments — the love, trust, obedience and reverence of the 
heart. The great object of social worship, as contemplated 
by the Apostles, was edification. It was the principle that 
controlled all the ordinances of the Church, and the appoint- 
ment of the various orders of the ministry. In the four- 
teenth chapter of i Corinthians, which is devoted to a dis- 
cussion, of the mode and principles of worship, Paul says: 
" Let all things be done unto edifying." And again in 
Ephesians : '' He gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; 



42 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for 
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for 
the edifying of the body of Christ." Other passages teach 
the same truth, namely, that edification was regarded by the 
Apostles as the chief end of congregational worship. 

But there is another principle, closely related to what we 
have been considering, that needs to be pointed out. " Let 
all things," says Paul, " be done decently and in order." This 
is a principle of wide application. It forbids at once arbi- 
trary^ irregularity and fanatical confusion. Under this prin- 
ciple Paul placed a restriction upon those who were inspired 
with the gift of tongues, and enjoined silence upon women 
in the congregational meetings. Under the conditions then 
existing, it was regarded as '' a shame for women to speak in 
the church." Unless all things are done decently and in 
order, the worship of the congregation tends to distraction 
rather than to edification. 

These principles were embodied in the worship of the 
Apostolic Church. The several parts of worship, or the 
liturgy of the primitive Church (using that word in the 
broad sense already spoken of), may be given as follows : 

1. The reading of portions of the Old Testament Scrip- 
tures — a practice transferred from the synagogue to the 
Christian Church. To these were added in due time lessons 
from the Gospels and Epistles. 

2. The preaching of the Gospel. This was in the form of 
brief extemporaneous addresses, recounting the leading facts 
in the life of Jesus, and containing a warm exhortation to 
repentance. Several discourses of Peter and Paul are pre- 
served in the Acts of the Apostles. 

3. Prayer. This was offered freely from the heart with 
great depth of devotion. We find a beautiful example in 
the fourth chapter of the Acts. As we would naturally ex- 
pect, from the devotional spirit of the Apostolic Church, 
prayer occupied a prominent place in the Christian life. It 
is frequently enjoined by the Apostles, and in one place Paul 
urges the Thessalonians to " pray without ceasing." 



WORSHIP IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. 43 

4. Singing. As peculiarly adapted to give expression to 
devotional sentiment, singing readily found a place in the 
worship of the first Christians. In the Psalms, with which 
they had become familiar in the synagogue, they possessed 
a rich treasure of devotional thought and feeling. The 
Lord himself introduced psalmody into the new dispensa- 
tion ; for we read that a hymn was sung at the institution of 
the Last Supper. And Paul expressly enjoined singing as a 
means of edification. " Let the word of Christ dwell in you 
richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one an- 
other in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing 
with grace in your hearts unto the Lord." 

5. The administration of the Lord's Supper. This was 
usually celebrated in connection with a simple meal known 
as the agape, or love feast. Its celebration was attended with 
much solemnity; and when abuses crept into the Church at 
Corinth, v/e find Paul exhorting, '' Let a man examine him- 
self, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." 
There was no fixed ritual for its celebration further than the 
words of institution themselves. The love feast and the holy 
kiss, which were at first connected with the celebration of 
the Lord's Supper, were afterwards discontinued on account 
of abuses. Baptism was not administered in the assembly. 

Throughout the greater part of the second century, the 
Church retained in large measure its Apostolic character. 
The congregations remained independent of one another, 
elected their own officers and teachers, and determined their 
own forms of worship. But the influence of Jewish institu- 
tions gradually became apparent. The bishops, now form- 
ing a distinct class from the presbyters, began to assume the 
prerogatives of Jewish high priests; the presbyters were 
•compared to priests, and the deacons to Levites. Thus we 
find in the first Epistle of Clement, dating from near the 
close of the first century, the following passage : "His own 
peculiar services are assigned to the high-priest, and their 
own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own 
•special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman 



44 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

is bound by the laws that pertain to the laymen." * Yet im 
the forty- fourth chapter he recognizes the fact that the 
Apostles appointed officers and teachers only " with the con- 
sent of the whole Church." 

In the second century the ascetic spirit had its beginning. 
Many Christians fancied that they could attain to greater 
spirituality by means of physical suffering. Abstaining from* 
every form of physical comfort and enjoyment, they with- 
drew into desert places, and mortified their bodies through 
watching, fasting and toil. With these departures from the 
principles of the New Testament, the ceremonies of worship' 
began to be multiplied. This was done in imitation of Jew- 
ish worship, and also to conciliate the heathen, who took of- 
fense at the simplicity of Apostolic usage. The observance 
of Easter and Whitsuntide was introduced, and the baptized 
were signed with the cross. 

But these tendencies to formalism did not yet seriously 
affect the life of the Church ; and among these early Chris- 
tians we find a beautiful embodiment of the principles of the 
Gospel. In the midst of heathen vices, they led lives of 
purity. Mercy took the place of cruelty; integrity sup- 
planted dishonesty; and humility drove out ambition. An 
ardent faith in God raised them above misfortune and suffer- 
ing, and with joyful spirit they went even to the stake. 
Their homes were consecrated by piety. Their children 
were brought up in the fear of God, and they exercised a 
boundless hospitality and benevolence. To quote but a 
single passage from the abounding testimony of the early 
Fathers, Justin Martyr says : " We who formerly delighted 
in fornication, now embrace chastity alone; we who for- 
merly used magical arts, dedicate ourselves to the good and 
unbegotten God ; we who valued above all things the acqui- 
sition of wealth and possessions, now bring what we have 
into a common stock, and communicate to every one in need ; 
we who hated and destroyed one another, and on account of 
their different manners would not live with men of a differ^ 

* Chap. xl. This chapter, however, is thought by some to be a forgery. 



WORSHIP IN THE APOSTOI.IC CHURCH. 45 

ent tribe, now, since the coming of Christ, live famiHarly 
with them, and pray for our enemies, and endeavor to per- 
suade those who hate us unjustly to live conformably to the 
good precepts of Christ, to the end that they may become 
partakers with us of the same joyful hope of a reward from 
God the ruler of all." * 

Of the worship in the Church of the second century we 
have several interesting descriptions by contemporary 
writers. About forty years after the death of St. Paul, Pliny, 
the Roman Governor of Bithynia, wrote a letter to the em- 
peror Trajan, in which he describes his method of dealing 
with the Christians. Among other things he says : " They 
affirmed that the whole of their guilt or error was, that they 
met on a certain stated day, before it was light, and ad- 
dressed themselves in a form of prayer to Christ, as to some 
God, binding themselves by a solemn oath, not for the pur- 
poses of any wicked design, but never to commit any fraud, 
theft or adultery; never to falsify their word, nor deny a 
trust when they should be called to deliver it up ; after which 
it was their custom to separate and then reassemble to eat in 
common a harmless meal." 

In the First Apology of Justin Martyr we have a de- 
scription of Christian worship as it existed near the middle 
of the second century : " On the day called Sunday, all who 
live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, 
and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the 
prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the 
reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and ex- 
horts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all 
rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our 
prayer is ended bread and wine and water are brought, and 
the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgiv- 
ings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying 
Amen ; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation 
of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who 
are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who 
* First Apology, Chap. xiv. 



46 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and. 
what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors 
the orphans and widows, and those who, through sickness or 
any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds, 
and the strangers sojourning among us, and, in a word, takes 
care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on 
which we all hold our common assembly," because it is the 
first day on which God, having wrought a change in the 
darkness and matter, made the world ; and Jesus Christ our 
Saviour on the same day arose from the dead." 

The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, which probably 
dates from the early part of the second century, gives us a 
form of thanksgiving used in connection with the com- 
munion : *' First, concerning the cup : We thank thee, our 
Father, for the holy vine of David thy servant, which thoa 
madest known to us through Jesus thy servant; to thee be 
the glory forever. And concerning the broken bread : We 
thank thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge which 
thou madest known to us through Jesus thy servant; tO' 
thee be the glory forever. Even as this broken bread was 
scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and be- 
came one, so let thy Church be gathered together from the 
ends of the earth into thy kingdom; for thine is the glory 
and the power through Jesus Christ forever." The prayer 
after the communion is given as follows : '' We thank thee, 
holy Father, for thy holy name which thou didst cause to 
tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and 
immortality which thou madest known to us through Jesus 
thy servant ; to thee be the glory forever. Thou, Master 
almighty, didst create all things for thy name's sake; thou 
gavest food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they 
might give thanks to thee; but to us thou didst freely give 
spiritual food and drink and life eternal through thy servant. 
Before all things we thank thee that thou art mighty; to 
thee be the glory forever. Remember, Lord, thy Church, to- 
deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in thy love, 
and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for thy king- 



WORSHIP IN THE APOSTOUC CHURCH. 47 

dom which thou hast prepared for it ; for thine is the power 
and the glory forever. Let grace come and this world pass 
away. Hosanna to the God of David. If any one is holy, 
let him come; if any one is not so, let him repent. Maran- 
atha. Amen." It is probable that at the conclusion of each 
Separate petition in the foregoing prayers, the congregation 
responded Amen. 

In the worship described in these extracts we discern in 
general the simplicity and consecration of the Apostolic 
Church. The essence of worship is still placed, not in the 
performance of external acts of devotion, but in the homage, 
self-consecration, and communion of the heart. The cere- 
monies of worship consisted in singing, prayer, reading of 
Scripture, exhortation, and the Lord's Supper, unattended 
by any fixed and elaborate ritual. The prayers of the pres- 
ident or bishop appear, as a rule, to have been free and spon- 
taneous, for such is the natural meaning of Justin Martyr's 
phrase, " according to his ability." Among the special usages 
to be noted are: i. The introduction of fixed forms of 
prayer, as indicated in the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. 
2. The probably frequent responses of Amen by the congre- 
gation. 3. The mingling of water with the communion wine. 
4. The sending of a portion of the consecrated elements to 
absent members through the deacons. 5. A frequent free- 
will offering which was placed in the hands of the president 
or bishop for the benefit of the needy. 



CHAPTER 11. 

WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE. 

During the third and fourth centuries the hierarchical 
tendency, which had its beginning, as we have seen, in the 
second century, was still further developed. Contrary to the 
practice of the Apostolic Church, the office of bishop was 
severed from that of presbyter, and elevated above it. The 
Church passed more and more under the power of the bishop. 
Among the authors of this change, we may mention Igna- 
tius and Cyprian. The former said, " Let all reverence . . . 
the bishop as Jesus Christ." "^ Cyprian taught that bishops 
derive their authority, not from the people, but immediately 
from God. According to his view, bishops are the succes- 
sors of the Apostles, clothed in the same divine authority, 
and amenable to none but God. As the representatives of 
Christ he claimed that bishops governed in the place of the 
Lord. Unfortunately these unscriptural views came to pre- 
vail generally in the Church, and transformed the ministry 
of the New Testament into a sacerdotal caste. 

With the increasing power of the clergy, and the corre- 
sponding subordination of the laity, the primitive simplicity 
and piety of the Church in great measure disappeared. 
Many bishops affected the estate of princes, and surrounded 
themselves with the insignia of power. In splendid attire, 
they sat upon thrones surrounded by liveried attendants. 
The legitimate duties of their office were frequently neg- 
lected to seek merely worldly aggrandizement. The contests 
among the bishops of this age, especially between the Sees 
of Rome and Constantinople, are notorious. Following 
their example, the presbyters and deacons often became 
worldly, performed their duties only in a perfunctory man- 
* Epistle to the Trallians, Chap. iii. 

(48) 



WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE. 49 

ner, and lived in indolence and pleasure. To meet the de- 
mands of an elaborate ecclesiastical organization and ritual, 
many new offices — subdeacons, acolyths, lectors, exorcists, 
catechists, and others- — were created. 

With the reign of Constantine the primitive constitution 
of the Church was pretty thoroughly subverted. The hier- 
archical tendencies, which had been insidiously at work dur- 
ing the two preceding centuries, became firmly established. 
The bishops became a mediating priesthood, dispensing life 
and death, and exercising authority as the vicars of Christ. 
Thus in the Apostolic Constitutions — a work dating from 
about this time — we read such passages as the follow- 
ing: " The bishop is the minister of the Word, the keeper 
of knowledge, the mediator between God and you in the 
several parts of your divine worship. He is the teacher 
of piety; and next after God, he is your father, who has 
begotten you again to the adoption of sons by water and 
the Spirit. He is your ruler and governor; he is your king 
and potentate ; he is, next after God, your earthly god, who 
has a right to be honored by you." * And again : " Rever- 
ence these, and honor them with all kinds of honor; for 
they have obtained from God the power of life and death, in 
their judging of sinners, and condemning them to the death 
of eternal fire, as also of loosing returning sinners from 
their sins, and of restoring them to a new life." f 

As " bishop in externals," a title he applied to himself, 
Constantine exercised control over the external affairs of the 
Church; and in order to bring its organization into closer 
likeness with the civil administration, he introduced various 
grades am.ong the bishops. The bishops of Rome, Antioch, 
Alexandria and Constantinople received the pre-eminence, 
and were distinguished by the Jewish title of Patriarch. 
Then came the exarchs, who presided over several prov- 
inces; the metropolitans, who governed each a single dis- 
trict; archbishops, who watched over a smaller part of a 

* Book II., Chap. xxvi. t Book II., Chap, xxxiii. 

4 



50 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

country; and lastly, ordinary bishops, whose jurisdiction had 
variable limits. 

Under Constantine Christianity became the state religion. 
The Church assumed the character of an immense visible 
organization. Churches were greatly multiplied; and in ri- 
valry with the magnificence of heathen temples, they were 
built after an elaborate style of architecture. The several 
parts of a typical Church, a knowledge of which is necessary 
to an understanding of the liturgical service, were as fol- 
lows : I . The bema or sanctuary — a large semicircular recess 
at the end of the building — which was set apart for the 
clergy. Here the bishop had his throne. The bema con- 
tained also the altar, on which the bishop as high priest, in 
imitation of the Jewish service, offered the body and blood 
of Christ as a sacrifice. 2. On each side of the bema or 
sanctuary were rooms called the pro thesis and diaconicon, 
corresponding to modern vestries. It was from the prothesis 
that the sacred vessels and the elements were brought at the 
communion. 3. The nave or body of the Church, which was 
occupied by the lay members. In front of the bema was the 
place of the choir, and also the reader's desk or amhon, ele- 
vated above the surrounding seats. 4. The narthex or vesti- 
bule, immediately in the rear of the nave, and occupied by 
the catechumens, penitents, and others. 

In reference to the arrangement of the church, the Apos- 
tolic Constitutions say : '' Let the building be long, with its 
head to the east, with its vestries on both sides at the east 
end, and so it will be like a ship. In the middle let the 
bishop's throne be placed ; on each side of him let the pres- 
bytery sit down ; and let the deacons stand near at hand, in 
close and small girt garments, for they are like the mariners 
and managers of the ship ; with regard to these, let the laity 
sit on the other side, with all quietness and good order. 
And let the women sit by themselves, they also keeping 
silence. In the middle, let the reader stand upon some 
high place." * 

* Book II., Chap. Ivii. 



WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE. 5! 

As a result of the new organization and condition of the 
Church, public worship underwent a change. Worship, in 
large measure, became formal. An elaborate ritual was sub- 
stituted for the worship in spirit and in truth commended by 
our Saviour. Even Augustine complained that the yoke 
once laid upon the Jews was more supportable than that 
laid upon m^any Christians. Ceremonies were borrowed 
from heathen worship in order to attract the people to 
Christianity. " There was little difference," says Mosheim^ 
" in these times between the public worship of the Chris- 
tians and that of the Greeks and Romans. In both alike 
there were splendid robes, mitres, tiaras, wax tapers, cro- 
siers, processions, lustrations, images, gold and silver vases,, 
and numberless other things." * The ecclesiastical year was 
developed, and the worship of the Virgin and saints, of 
images and relics, was introduced. Fasting became com- 
mon, and was thought to have special efficacy in repelling 
Satan and pleasing God. 

The first day of the week or the Lord's day, the observ- 
ance of which Constantine required by a special law, con- 
tinued to be the usual time for congregational worship. 
Public worship was divided into two parts: i. The service 
of the catechumens (Missa catechurnenorum) — those who 
were under instruction preparatory to baptism; and 2. The 
service of the Faithful (Missa fidelkim) — those in full con- 
nection with the Church. To the latter part belonged the 
administration of the Lord's Supper, which now became the 
leading feature of worship. It was made a mystery, from- 
which all classes of people, except persons in full member- 
ship, were excluded. Hymns, prayers, Scripture reading 
and sermons continued to be employed; but they were en- 
veloped in an elaborate ceremonial, which impressed upon 
worship a formal character utterly foreign to the spirit of 
the New Testament and to the essential nature of worship- 
itself. The chief thing in worship was the priestly oblation 
of the body and blood of Christ ; and instead of a spiritual 

* Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I., p. 276. 



52 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

communion with God, the ritual act on the part of the peo- 
ple was looked upon as a meritorious work. Speaking of 
this period, Koestlin says : " The correlate of the priestly- 
idea is found in the sacrificial idea, and in its associated 
conception of the nature and value of worship. According 
to this conception worship is regarded as an act in and for 
itself pleasing to God, a spiritual work, a sacrifice, and its 
worth is placed in the objective performance of the worship- 
ing act, in the spirituality of the work itself." * 

The typical worship of this period is contained in the 
eighth book of the Apostolic Constitutions, a work com- 
piled about the middle of the fourth century, though under- 
going subsequent changes and additions. It is the earliest 
specimen of a fixed form of worship that has come down to 
us. It is known as the Clementine Liturgy, though the au- 
thor of the compilation, according to a custom not unusual at 
the time, ascribes it, as will be seen, to St. James. The prin- 
cipal prayers, which are inordinately long, are omitted; but 
otherwise the service is given in full. 

THE LITURGY OF ST. CLEMENT. 

. After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, and our 
Epistles and Acts, and the Gospels, let him that is ordained 
salute the Church, saying: 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and 
our Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with 
you all. 

And let all answer: And with thy spirit. 

And after this, let him address to the people words of ex- 
hortation, and when he hath ended his zvord of doctrine (I, 
Andrew, the brother of Peter, say), all standing up, let the 
■deacon ascend to some high place, and proclaim: Let none of 
the auditors, let none of the unbelievers stay. And when 
quiet hath been made, let him say: 

Ye that are catechumens, pray. 

* Geschichte des Christlichen Gottesdienstes, p. 40. 



WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE. 53 

And let all the faithful pray for them in their mind, say- 
ing: 

Lord, have mercy. 

And let the deacon bid prayers for them, saying: 

Let us all pray unto God for the catechumens, that he that 
is good, he that is the lover of mankind, will mercifully hear 
their prayers and supplications, etc. [At the conclusion of 
this bidding prayer, the catechumens rise, and bow their 
heads to receive the blessing.] 

But at the naming of every one by the deacon, let the 
people say: 

Lord, have mercy. 

And let the children say it first. And as they bow down 
their heads, let the bishop who is newly ordained bless them 
with this blessing: 

O God Almighty, unbegotten and inaccessible ... do thou 
thyself also now look upon these thy servants, the catechu- 
mens of the Gospel of thy Christ, etc. 

And after this, let the deacon say: Go out, ye catechumens, 
in peace. And after they have gone out, let him say: Ye en- 
ergumens, afflicted with unclean spirits, pray, and let us ear- 
nestly pray for them, that God the lover of mankind will by 
Christ rebuke the unclean and wicked spirits, etc. [At the 
conclusion of this prayer, the energumens bow their heads 
to receive the blessing.] 

And let the bishop pray over them, saying: 

Thou that didst bind the strong man, and spoil all his 
goods . . . rebuke the evil spirits, and preserve the works of 
thy hands from the energy of an adverse spirit : for to thee 
is glory, honor, and worship, and by thee to thy Father, and 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

And let the deacon say: Go out, ye energumens. And 
after this, let him cry aloud: Ye that are to be illuminated, 
pray. Let us all, the faithful, earnestly pray for them, that 
the Lord will vouchsafe that initiated into the death of Christ 
they may rise with him, and become partakers of his king- 



54 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

dom, etc. [Then they bow down their heads and receive 
the blessing.] 

And let the bishop pray over them, saying: 

Thou that saidst aforehand by thy holy prophets to the 
initiated, Wash you, make you clean ... do thou thyself 
now look upon the baptized, etc. 

And let the deacon say: Go out, ye that are preparing for 
illumination. And after that, let him proclaim: Ye penitents, 
pray. Let us all earnestly pray for our brethren in the state 
of penitence, that God, the lover of compassion, will show 
them the way of repentance, etc. [Then they bow their 
heads and receive the bishop's blessing.] 

Then let the bishop pray after this fashion: 

Almighty, everlasting God, Master of all, Creator and 
Governor of all things . . . look down upon these that have 
bowed to thee the necks of their souls and bodies, etc. 

Then let the deacon say: Depart, ye penitents. And let 
him add: Let none of those draw near who ought not to 
come. All we of the faithful, let us bend our knee: let us 
all entreat God through his Christ; [Here follows a long 
bidding prayer, after which the people rise.] 

Then let the bishop pray over them and say: 

O Lord almighty, most High . . . vouchsafe to them that 
everlasting life which is in Christ thy only begotten Son, our 
God and Saviour, through whom glory and worship be to 
thee, in the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and 
ever. Amen. 

And after this, let the deacon say: Let us attend.* 

And let the bishop salute the church, and say: 

The peace of God be with you all. 

And let the people answer: 

And with thy spirit. 

And let the deacon say to all: 

Greet ye one another with an holy kiss. 

And let the clergy salute the bishop, the men of the laity 
salute the men, the zvomen the women. And let the children 

* This is the beginning of the Eiicharistic part of the service. 



WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE. 55 

stand at the reading desk; and let another deacon stand by 
them, that they may not be disorderly. And let other deacons 
walk about and watch the men and women, that no tumult be 
made and that no one nod, or whisper, or slumber; and let 
the deacons stand at the doors of the men, and the subdea- 
cons at those of the women, that no one go out, nor a door be 
opened, although it be for one of the faithful, at the time of 
the oblation. But let one of the subdeacons bring water to 
wash the hands of the priests, which is a symbol of the purity 
of those soids that are devoted to God. {And I, James, the 
brother of John, say that) the deacon shall then proclaim: 

I.et none of the catechumens, none of the hearers, let none 
of the unbehevers, let none of the heterodox, stay here. 
You who have prayed the foregoing prayer, depart. Let 
the mothers receive their children; let no one have any 
thing against any one; let no one come in hypocrisy; let 
us stand upright before the Lord with fear and trembling, 
to offer. 

When this is done, let the deacons bring the gifts to the 
bishop at the altar; and let the presbyters stand on his right 
hand and on his left, as disciples stand before their Master. 
But let two of the deacons on each side of the altar, hold a 
fan, made up of thin membranes, or of the feathers of the 
peacock, or of fine cloth, and let them silently drive away 
flies and gnats, that they may not fall into the cups. Then let 
the high priest, together with the priests, pray by himself ; 
and let him put on his splendid vestments, and stand at the 
altar, and make the sign of the cross upon his forehead zvith 
his hand and say: 

The grace of Almighty God, and the love of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with 
you all. 

And let all with one voice say: 

And with thy spirit. 

Bishop. Lift up your mind. 

People. We lift it up unto the Lord. 

Bishop. Let us give thanks unto the Lord. 



56 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

People. It is meet and right so to do. 

Bishop. It is indeed meet and right before all things to sing 
praises to thee, the true God, from everlasting, of whom the 
whole family in heaven and earth is named, etc. [Here fol- 
lows a very long and ostentatious prayer, covering six ordi- 
nary pages, and concluding as follows :] For all these things 
glory be to thee, O Lord Almighty. . . . The cherubim and 
seraphim with six wings, with twain covering their feet, 
with twain their heads, and with twain flying, say, together 
with thousand thousands of archangels, and ten thousand 
times ten thousand of angels, incessantly and with loud 
voices, 

And let all the people say it with them: 

Holy, holy, holy. Lord of hosts, heaven and earth are full 
of thy glory : be thiou blessed forever. Amen. 

After this let the. bishop say: 

Thou art indeed holy . . . Holy also is thine only begot- 
ten Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and God. [Here follows a 
long commemoration of the whole work of redemption, and 
also the following:] 

Mindful, therefore, of what he endured for us, we give 
thanks to thee, O God Almighty, not as much as we ought, 
but as much as we can ; and fulfill his command. For in the 
night in which he was betrayed, he took bread in his holy 
and blameless hands, and looking up to thee, his God and 
Father, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, This 
is the mystery of the new covenant. Take of it and eat. 
This is my body which is broken for many for the remission 
of sins. Likewise also the cup he mingled of wine and 
water, and sanctified and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye 
all of it. This is my blood which is shed for many for the 
remission of sins. This do in remembrance of me. For as 
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show 
forth my death, until I come. Mindful, therefore, of his pas- 
sion and death, and resurrection and ascension, and second 
coming with power and glory to judge the quick and the 
dead ... we offer to thee, our King, and our God, according 



WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE. 57 

to his command, this bread and this cup, giving thanks to 
thee through him, for that thou hast vouchsafed unto us to 
stand before thee and be priests to thee. 

And we desire thee that thou wik graciously look upon 
these gifts, set forth before thee, O God in want of naught, 
and be well pleased with them to the honor of thy Christ, 
and send down upon this sacrifice thy Holy Spirit, the wit- 
ness of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus, that he may break 
this bread, the body of thy Christ, and this cup, the blood of 
thy Christ, in order that they who partake thereof may be 
confirmed in piety, may gain remission of sins . . . and 
eternal life. [The prayer concludes thus :] 

For to thee belongs all glory, veneration, and thanksgiv- 
ing, honor and worship, the Father, and the Son, and the 
Holy Ghost, now and forever, world without end. 

And let all the people say: Amen. 

And let the bishop say: 

The peace of God be with you all. 
■ And let all the people say: 

And with thy spirit. 

And let the deacon again proclaim: 

Let us still further beseech God through his Christ, etc. 

[Here follows the bidding prayer for the faithful after 
the oblation.] 

And let the bishop say: 

O God . . . the God and Father of thy holy servant 
Jesus our Saviour, look upon us, and upon this thy flock 
. . . and sanctify us in body and soul, and make us worthy 
. . . to receive the offered blessings; and judge none of us 
to be unworthy; . . . through thy Christ, with whom to 
thee be all glory forever. Amen. 

And after all have said, Amen, let the deacon say: 

Let us attend. 

And let the bishop speak thus to the people: 

Holy things for holy persons. 

And let the people answer: 



58 - CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

There is one holy, one Lord, one Jesus Christ, to the 
glory of God the Father, blessed forevermore. Amen. 
Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good 
will towards men. Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed 
be he that cometh in the name of the Lord : God is the Lord, 
and he hath appeared unto us. Hosanna in the highest. 

After this, let the bishop partake; then the presbyters, and 
deacons, and subdeacons, and readers, and singers, and as- 
cetics, and of the women, the deconesses, virgins and wid- 
ows. Afterzvards the children, and then all the people in 
order, with fear and reverence, without tninnlt or noise. 
And the bishop shall give the oblation, saying: 

The body of Christ. 

And let him that receives say. Amen. 

And the deacon shall take the cup, and when he gives it, 
let him say: 

The blood of Christ, the cup of life. 

And let him that drinks say. Amen. 

And let the thirty-third Psalm be said while the rest are 
partaking; and when all, both men and women, have par- 
taken, let the deacons carry what remains into the vestry. 

And let the deacons say, when the singers have finished: 

Having received the precious body and precious blood of 
Christ, let us give thanks to him who hath vouchsafed that 
we should receive his holy mysteries, and let us beseech him 
that they may not be to us to judgment, but to salvation; to 
the advantage of soul and body, to the preservation of god- 
liness, to the forgiveness of sins, to the life of the world to 
come. Let us rise. In the grace of Christ, let us commend 
ourselves to God, the only unbegotten God, and to his 
Christ. 

And let the bishop give thanks: 

Master, God Almighty, Father of Christ, thy blessed Son 
... we yield thee thanks that thou hast vouchsafed us to 
receive thy holy mysteries . . . and gather us all together 
into thy kingdom of heaven, by Jesus Christ our Lord, with 



WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF CONSTANTINE. 59 

whom glory, honor, and worship be to thee, and the Holy 
Ghost, forever. Amen. 

And let the deacon say: 

Bow down to God through his Christ and receive the 
blessing. 

And let the bishop add this prayer, and say: 

O God Almighty, the true God, to whom nothing can be 
■compared ... be gracious to me, and hear me, for thy 
name's sake, and bless those that bow down their necks unto 
thee, and grant them the petition of their hearts. . . . For 
to thee belongs the glory, praise, majesty, worship, and 
.adoration, and to thy Son Jesus, thy Christ, our Lord and 
God and King, and to the Holy Ghost, now and always, for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 

And let the deacons say: 

Depart in peace. 

The result of the foregoing inquiry into the principles and 
forms of worship in the first half of the fourth century may 
in part be summarized as follows: 

1. The ascendency of the hierarchical view of the min- 
istry, according to which the clergy exercise authority over 
the laity by immediate divine right. 

2. The conception of the Church as a visible organization 
to be governed by various orders of the hierarchy, in imita- 
tion of the Mosaic economy and the civil administration of 
the Roman empire. 

3. Growing out of these unscriptural views, a decline in 
the piety of the Church, especially among the clergy, the 
multiplication of ceremonies, and the introduction of super- 
stitious practices. 

4. As the complement of the sacerdotal view of the min- 
istry, the sacrificial conception of the Lord's Supper, accord- 
ing to which the body and blood of Christ are offered to God 
as a sacrifice for sin. 

5. As a consequence of this sacrificial idea, the celebra- 
tion of the Lord's Supper becomes the principal part of 



6o CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

divine worship, and surrounds itself with an imposing cere- 
monial. 

6. The conception of worship, not as a spiritual com- 
munion with God, but as a ritual act, the performance of 
which is considered in itself a meritorious work, pleasing ta 
God. 



CHAPTER III. 

WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 

The period specially contemplated in this chapter em- 
braces the fifth and sixth centuries. It was a period of great 
liturgical development, and its rituals have supplied the 
orders of service for a large part of Christendom. The 
liturgy of St. Chrysostom, soon to be presented, is substan- 
tially the order of the Greek Church at the present time; 
and the liturgy of Gregory the Great is the basis of the ex- 
isting Roman Mass, and through it of the leading Lutheran 
and Anglican liturgies. It is a period, therefore, that merits 
special study. 

" The right relation between doctrine and worship," says 
Kurtz, '' doubtless is, that the latter should be regulated and 
•determined by the former."* This is the usual and natural 
order; and as we have seen, it determined the forms of 
worship in the Apostolic Church, and in the age of Constan- 
tine. In the present period we shall find a still further illus- 
tration of the same principle. Unevangelical doctrine per- 
verted spiritual worship. 

The general drifting away from evangelical views of the 
ministry. Church, and sacraments, as seen in the preceding 
period, was not without clear and emphatic protests. In 
many cases the enlightened Christian conscience was of- 
fended by the prevailing errors. In opposition to a demand 
for pomp and show, Origen said substantially : " In the high- 
est sense, God*s temple and image are in the humanity of 
Christ; next, in all actuated by the spirit of Christ; living 
images these, with which no Jupiter of Phidias is worthy to 

* Church History, p. 216. 

(61) 



62 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

be compared."* In opposition to the tendency to make re- 
ligion outward and formal, Clement says : '' The disciples o£ 
Christ ought so to appear and so to shape their conduct in 
their daily living, as, for the sake of propriety, they strive to 
appear in the Church ; they should really be, and not merely 
seem to be such, — so gentle, so devout, so amiable. But I 
know not how it is that, with the place, they change their 
appearance and their manners, just as it is said of the poly- 
pus, that it changes its color with the roots to which it 
clings. They lay aside the spiritual demeanor which the}^ 
assumed in the Church, as soon as they leave it, and put. 
themselves on a level with the multitude with whom they 
mingle. They convict themselves of insincerity, and show 
what was really the temper of their hearts, by laying off 
their assumed mask of decorum. They profess to honor the 
Word of God, but leave it behind them in the place where 
they heard it."t 

It should not be forgotten, also, that in spite of the false- 
views which perverted the organization and worship of the 
Church, the Gospel asserted its power in many individual 
lives. There were heroic missionaries and martyrs. Many 
an anchorite, like Anthony, was animated by a spirit of deep 
piety and consecration. Not a few Christian women — 
Monica, the mother of Augustine, and Noma, the mother 
of Gregory of Nazianzen — exhibited an almost ideal Chris- 
tian character. And some of the leading teachers in the 
Church — those whom we honor with the name of " the 
Fathers " — were as notable for their piety as for their ability 
and learning. And yet it remains true that in spite of many 
beautiful examples to the contrary, the unscriptural tenden- 
cies in doctrine and in worship told disastrously upon the 
religious life of the people as a whole. 

The sacerdotal view of the ministry and the hierarchical 
organization of the Church continued to prevail throughout 
the period under consideration. The See of Rome, how- 

* Against Celsiis, Book VIII., Chaps, xvii., xviii. 

t Quoted by Neander. History of the Church, Vol. I., p. 290. 



WORSHIP IN THK EASTERN CHURCH. 63 

ever, claimed a primacy over all other bishoprics; and 
through political interests and shrewd, far-seeing diplomacy, 
it succeeded at length in making good its preposterous pre- 
tensions. Leo the Great declared that '' the care of all the 
churches belonged to himself, as the successor of the 
Apostle Peter, to whom, as the reward of his faith, the Lord 
had assigned the primacy among the Apostles, and upon 
whom he had founded his Church."* Here the centralizing 
or monarchical tendency, which had been at work through 
several preceding centuries, reached its culmination in the 
Western Church. This result was of great significance for 
public worship. It ultimately imposed a single liturgical 
form upon a large part of Christendom. 

In the Eastern Church, the several patriarchs, like the 
pope of Rome, constantly sought an increase of power. In 
451 the Council of Chalcedon decreed that the bishop of 
Constantinople or New Rome ought to enjoy equal honors 
and prerogatives with the bishop of ancient Rome. Sup- 
ported by the imperial court, the patriarch of Constantinople 
aspired to pre-eminence in the East, and succeeded in subor- 
dinating the patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch. Every- 
where the patriarchs encroached upon the rights of the bish- 
ops, and the bishops upon the rights of the people. The 
spiritual nature of the Church and the universal priesthood 
of Christians were lost sight of. The Church was viewed as 
an external organization; the higher orders of the clergy 
lived as princes. The clerical life thus appealed to the 
worldly ambition of men; and many persons entered the 
priesthood, not to minister to the spiritual wants of the peo- 
ple and to build up a kingdom of righteousness, but to live in 
ease, splendor or power. Speaking of the Church in the 
fifth century, Mosheim says : " Of the vices of the whole 
clerical order, their luxury, their arrogance, their avarice, 
their voluptuous lives, we have as many witnesses as we 
have writers of integrity and gravity in this age whose 
works have come down to us. The bishops, especially such 
* Guericke's Church History, p. 276. 



64 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

as were distinguished for their rank and honors, employed 
various administrators to manage their affairs, and formed 
around themselves a kind of sacred court. The dignity of a 
presbyter was supposed to be so great that Martin of Tours 
did not hesitate to say at a public entertainment, that the em- 
peror himself was inferior to one of that order. The dea- 
cons were taxed with their pride and their vices in many de- 
crees of the Councils. These stains upon the character of 
the clergy would have been deemed insufferable, had not 
most of the people been sunk in superstition and ignorance, 
and had not all estimated the rights and privileges of Chris- 
tian ministers by those of the ancient priests both among the 
Hebrews and among the Greeks and Romans."* 

Religious worship underwent, as compared with the pre- 
ceding period, a still further deterioration. The spiritual 
tvas lost in the, external. The churches were now decorated 
with images, which became objects of worship. Relic wor- 
ship increased until no altar or church was built that did not 
possess its own relic. " Gradually, as the small number of 
known martyrs no longer suf^ced to supply the increasing 
number of churches with relics, their bones were distrib- 
uted."t The ecclesiastical year received its complete devel- 
opment. The worship of Mary and of the saints led to the 
institution of festivals in their honor. When the large num- 
ber of canonized saints rendered it impossible to dedicate a 
special day to each one, Pope Boniface IV. in 6io instituted 
the festum omnium sanctorum. Fasting and pilgrimages be- 
came frequent; and in addition to the services of Sunday, 
special religious exercises were held on Wednesday and 
Friday. The distinction between religious and secular — a 
distinction that continued till the time of the Reformation — 
was sharply drawn; and Christianity, instead of being re- 
garded a sanctification and consecration of the whole life to 
God, became a matter of outward ceremony — something 
apart from the daily life. 

* Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I., p. 327. 
t Kurtz, Church History, Vol. I., p. 225. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 65 

In worship the sacerdotal and sacrificial idea came into 
greater prominence. It at length dominated every part of 
the service, and finally reduced it to a celebration of the 
Lord's Supper. Speaking of this period, Koestlin says: 
" The New Testament priesthood, which rests on personal 
holiness of life, no longer forms a contrast with the theo- 
cratic priesthood, which rested on a sacred office. The New 
Testament sacrifice, which is spiritual, and consists in the 
grateful consecration of the whole man to the Lord, no 
longer forms a contrast with the Old Testament sacrifice, 
which was a ceremonial and ritual act instituted of God. On 
the contrary, the New Testament priesthood is made a 
higher grade of the Old Testament priesthood, the New 
Testament sacrifice the more perfect because completely effi- 
cacious sacrifice; but both priesthood and sacrifice are fac- 
tors as essential for Christianity, as for the Old Testament 
theocracy. For Christianity is looked upon as the comple- 
tion of the theocracy, not in the sense that it represents the 
spirituality, glory, and inner application of the salvation con- 
tained in the forms of theocratic order, and hence its aim 
and perfect realization, but in the sense that the New Testa- 
ment Church or theocracy represents and offers perfectly 
what the Old Testament Church represented and offered 
only imperfectly. The Christian Church is regarded, not as 
the abolition of the Old Testament theocracy, but as its heir 
— a potentialized theocracy, as it were — which in content 
and range completes the Old Testament theocracy, so far as 
it procures a perfect salvation and embraces all nations."* 

The service of the Lord's day was looked on as a meri- 
torious work in itself. It aimed indeed at the edification of 
the worshiper; but this result was to be accomplished, not 
through the operation of divine truth upon the mind and 
heart, but ex opere opcrato through the service and sacra- 
ments. The sermon, which had formerly been very promi- 
nent, gradually received less attention, and finally disap- 
peared entirely from public worship. Divine grace was im- 

* Geschichte des Christlichen Gottesdienstes, p. 61. 
5 



66 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

parted objectively; and the spiritual life was sustained, not 
by the ethical influence of the Word and Spirit, but by the 
magical eflicacy of the ritual act and the sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper. 

It was under these circumstances — in the midst of errone- 
ous doctrine and low spiritual condition — that the Church 
developed " extraordinary wealth of forms and material, an 
indescribable fullness of beauty." In the Apostolic Church 
each congregation had the right to determine its own form 
of worship. But with the centralizing tendency of the 
Church, and the establishment of the several patriarchates, 
this freedom was greatly restricted. Within each patriarch- 
ate there was an effort to secure uniformity of ritual. Ac- 
cording to Neale,* the primitive liturgies may be divided 
into five principal families: i. That of St. James, or Jeru- 
salem; 2. That of St. Mark, or Alexandria; 3. That of St. 
Thaddeus, or the East ; 4. That of St. John, or Ephesus ; 5. 
That of St. Peter, or Rome. All these families, except that 
of St. Peter, or Rome, are characterized as Eastern Litur- 
gies, and have a general likeness. They are extremely long, 
and have a symbolical and dramatic character, which distin- 
guishes them from the Western liturgies, which are purely 
sacrificial. Furthermore, the Eastern liturgies have a dis- 
tinct invocation of the Holy Spirit, without which the trans- 
mutation of the elements is not considered complete. Un- 
like the Western liturgies, they do not have var3^ing collects, 
Epistles, and Gospels, and have only a single preface, which 
is used on all occasions. 

The Liturgy of St. Chrysostom belongs to the St. James 
or Jerusalem family, and is the normal liturgy of the East- 
ern Church. " That of St. Basil is said on all Sundays of 
Lent, (except Palm Sunday), Maundy Thursday, Easter 
Eve, the Vigils of Christmas and Epiphany, and the feast 
of St. Basil X]^^' i)- That of St. James is said in some of 
the Greek islands on the festival of the saint. That of St. 
Mark has been obsolete since the time of Theodore Balsa- 

* Primitive Liturgies, p. 11. 



> 



WORSHIP IN THK EASTERN CHURCH. 67 

mon. This prelate, a complete oriental Ultramontane, was 
for squaring everything according to 'the most straitest' rule 
of the Great Church ; and procured the abolition of this lit- 
urgy, more venerable than his own, just as Rome has abol- 
ished, and is still abolishing, the national liturgies of other 
churches."* 

The dramatic character of the Eastern liturgies deserves 
to be considered a little more fully. They set forth in sig- 
nificant acts the whole work of redemption, beginning with 
the creation of the world and ending with the ascension of 
our Lord. They are, thus, elaborately spectacular. The 
service of Sunday represents but a part of the entire liturgi- 
cal drama, which really begins with the vesper service of the 
evening before. It would be tedious and profitless to con- 
sider the symbolism of the whole service ; but the following 
mystical interpretations will serve for illustration : " The 
bishop who is about to celebrate, descending from the throne 
in which he has been stationed, figures the condescension of 
God the Son to us. And having put on the stole, he figures 
the Lord's most holy incarnation; and going out to the 
gates of the temple, his presence and manifestation on earth, 
even till his death and descent into hell. This is signified 
by the priest going towards the west and as far as the 
church doors ... By the Psalms, the prediction of the in- 
carnation of the Word to those of old time is set forth : by 
the hymnody which follows, the perfect completion of grace 
is typified to the bystanders, and the Son of God incarnate, 
and all the things which he worked for our sakes . . . But 
when the bishop has finished his holy prayers without the 
bema, the deacons stand by him, who typify, not only the 
Apostles, but also the angels, who minister also in the mys- 
teries of Christ. But when the priests within the bema have 
also finished their own prayers, and come forth, the descent 
of the holy angels, which took place in the ascension of 
Christ, is signified. And when the torches are borne forth, 
and the deacons advance by two and two, and the Holy 
* Neale, Primitive Liturgies, p. 20. 



68 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Gospel is carried in procession, and the bishop supported on 
either side by deacons, advances, and the other priests fol- 
low behind . . . the resurrection and ascension of the Sa- 
viour is shadowed forth . . . But the bishop is a type of 
the Lord himself made manifest to the disciples, and taken 
up from earth to heaven. Wherefore the whole of the ex- 
terior nave is a type of the earth; and the most holy place 
represents heaven . . . But when the celebrant has entered 
and censed the holy table around, the advent of the Holy 
Ghost is signified by him."* And so on throughout the 
entire liturgy. 

From the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom, which is now given, 
the service of the prothesis, which is concerned with the 
preparation of the elements, is omitted. It covers ten 
pages. 

THE LITURGY OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. 

Deacon. Sir, give the blessing. 

Priest. Blessed be the kingdom of the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. 

Choir. Amen. 

Deacon. In peace let us make our supplications to the 
Lord. 

Choir. Lord, have mercy: (and so at the end of every 
petition following. ) 

Deacon. For the peace that is from above, and for the 
salvation of our souls, let us make our supplications to the 
Lord. 

For the peace of the whole world, the stability of the holy 
churches of God, and the union of all, let us make, etc. 

For this holy house, and them that in faith, piety, and the 
fear of God enter into it, let us, etc. 

For our archbishop N. ; the venerable presbytery, the 
diaconate in Christ, all the clergy and the laity, let us, etc. 

* This explanation of the service is given by Symeon of Thessalonica 
— a man of the highest character for learning and piety — who died in 
1429. It is quoted by Neale in his Primitive Liturgies, p. 21. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 69 

For our most pious and divinely preserved kings, all their 
palace and their army, let us, etc. 

That he would fight on their side, and subdue every 
enemy and adversary under their feet, let us, etc. 

For this holy abode, the whole city and country, and them 
that inhabit it in faith, let us, etc. 

For healthfulness of air, plenty of the fruits of the earthy 
and peaceful times, let us, etc. 

For them that voyage, that journey, that are sick, that 
labor, that are in bonds, and their safety, let us, etc. 

That we may be preserved from all tribulations, wraths 
danger, and necessity, let us, etc. 

Assist, preserve, pity, and protect us, O God, by thy 
grace. 

Commemorating the all-holy, spotless, excellently laud- 
able, and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and ever Virgin 
Mary, with all saints, let us commend ourselves and each 
other, and all our life, to Christ our God. 

Choir. To thee, O Lord. 

Priest (aloud). For all glory, worship, and honor befits 
thee. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to 
ages of ages. Amen. 

The first Antiphon is sung by the choir, and the priest says 
the prayer of the first Antiphon. The deacon, having made a 
reverence, leaves his place, and goes and stands before the 
icon of the Mother of God, looking towards the icon of 
Christ, taking hold of the Orarion with three fingers of his 
right hand. 

First Antiphon. 

Versicle. The heavens declare the glory of God : and the 
firmament sheweth his handiwork. 

By the intercession of the Mother of God. 

Versicle. One day telleth another: and one night certi- 
fieth another. 

By the intercession of the Mother of God. 

Versicle. There is neither speech nor language : but their 
voices are heard among them. 



70 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

By the intercession of the Mother of God. 

Versicle. Their sound is gone out unto all lands : and 
their words unto the end of the world. 

By the intercession of the Mother of God. 

For to thee belongeth all glory, honor, and worship, 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and for ever, world with- 
out end. 

By the intercession of the Mother of God. 

Prayer of the First Antiphon. 

Lord our God, of boundless might, and incomprehensible 
glory, and measureless compassion, and ineffable love to 
man, look down, O Lord, according to thy tender love, on 
us, and on this holy house, and show to us, and to them that 
pray with us, the riches of thy mercies and compassions. 

And after the Antiphon hath been sung, the deacon comes 
and stands in the accustomed place, adores and says: 

Again and again in peace let us make our supplications to 
the Lord. 

Assist, preserve, pity, and protect us, O God. 

Commemorating the all-holy, undefiled, excellently laud- 
able, glorious Lady, etc. {as before.) 

Exclamation. For thine is the strength, and thine is the 
kingdom, the power and the glory, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen. 

In like manner the choir sing the second Antiphon. The 
deacon doth the same as in the former prayer. 

Second Antiphon. 

Versicle. The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the 
name of the God of Jacob defend thee. 

Save us, O good Paraclete, who chant to thee Alleluia. 

Versicle. Send thee help from the sanctuary; and 
strengthen thee out of Zion. 

Save us, O good Paraclete, who chant to thee Alleluia. 

Versicle. Remember all thy offerings; and accept thy 
burnt sacrifice. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 7 1 

Save us, O good Paraclete, who chant to thee Alleluia. 

For to thee belongeth all glory, honor, and worship. 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and forever, world with- 
out end. 

Prayer of the Second Antiphon. 

Lord, our God, save thy people, and bless thy inheritance ; 
guard the fullness of thy Church : hallow them that love the 
beauty of thy house. Glorify them in recompense with thy 
divine power: and forsake not them that put their trust in 
thee. 

Deacon. Again and again, in peace, let us make our sup- 
plications to the Lord. 

Assist, preserve, pity, and protect us, O God. 

Commemorating the all-holy, undefiled, excellently laud- 
able, glorious Lady, etc. (as before.) 

Exclamation. For thou art the good God, and the Lover 
of men, and to thee we ascribe glory, honor and worship, 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of 
ages. Amen. 

The prayer of the Third Anfiphon. 

Thou, who hast given us grace, at this time, with one ac- 
cord, to make our common supplications unto thee : and 
dost promise that, when two or three are gathered together 
in thy name, thou wilt grant their requests : fulfill now, O 
Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be 
most expedient for them : granting us in this world knowl- 
edge of thy truth, and in the world to come, life ever- 
lasting. 

And while the third Antiphon is being sung by the choir, 
or, if it be Sunday, the Beatitudes, when they come to the 
doxology, the priest and deacon make three reverences be- 
fore the holy table. Then the priest, taking the holy Gospel, 
giveth it to the deacon: and thus going through the north 
portion of the sanctuary, preceded by lamps, they make the 
Little Entrance. 



72 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Third Antiphon. 

Versicle. The king shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord: 
exceedingly glad shall he be in thy salvation. 

Blessed art thou, Christ our God. 
• Thou hast given him his heart's desire : and hast not de- 
nied him the request of his lips. 

Blessed art thou, Christ our God. 

Versicle. For thou shalt prevent him with the blessings of 
goodness; and shalt set a crown of pure gold upon his 
head. 

Blessed art thou, Christ our God. 

Versicle. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him a 
long life; even for ever and ever. 

Blessed be thou, Christ our God. 

I so die on."^ Be thou exalted. Lord, in thine own strength: 
so will we sing and praise thy power. 

Save us, O good Paraclete, who sing to thee Alleluia. 

Deacon (in a low voice). Let us make our supplications 
to the Lord. 

Priest secretly, saith the Prayer of the Entrance. 

Master, Lord, and our God, who hast disponed in heaven 
troops and armies of angels and archangels, for the ministry 
of thy glory : grant that with our entrance there may be an 
entrance of holy angels, ministering together with us, and 
with us glorifying thy goodness. 

For to thee is due all honor, glory, and worship, Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. 
Amen. 

The prayer being finished, the deacon pointing with his 
right hand to the East, and holding his Orarion with three 
fingers, saith to the priest: 

Sir, bless the holy Entrance. 

Priest. Blessed be the entrance of thy saints, always, now 
and ever, and to ages of ages. 

Then the deacon thus going to the Hegnmen, if any be 

* The anthem accompanying the Little Entrance ; or the bringing in 
of the Gospel from the Prothesis. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 73 

present, who kisseth the Gospel; but if none be present, the 
priest kisseth it. 

And when the Troparia are ended, the deacon comes forth 
into the middle, and standing before the priest, raiseth his 
hands a little, and showing the holy Gospel, saith zvith a loud 
voice, 

Wisdom, stand up. 

Then he himself adores, and the priest behind him: and 
they both go to the holy bema, and the deacon puts down the 
holy Gospel, on the holy table, and the choir sing the accus- 
tomed Troparia, and when they are singing the last, the 
deacon saith: 

Let us make our supplications to the Lord. 

Priest. For holy art thou, our God ; and we ascribe glory 
to thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and forever. 

Deacon. And to ages of ages. 

Choir. Amen. 

The Choir sing the Trisagion. 

Holy God, Holy and mighty, Holy and immortal, have 
mercy upon us. (Five times.) 

In the meantime the priest saith secretly the prayer of the 
Trisagion. 

God, which art holy, and restest in the holies, who art 
hymned with the voice of the Trisagion by the Seraphim, 
and glorified by the Cherubim, and adored by all the heav- 
enly powers; thou who didst from nothing call all things 
into being; who didst make man after thy likeness and 
image, and didst adorn him with all thy graces ; who givest 
to him that seeketh wisdom and understanding, and passest 
not by the sinner, but dost give repentance unto salvation; 
who hast vouchsafed that we, thy humble and unworthy 
servants, should stand even at this time before the glory of 
thy holy altar, and should pay to thee the worship and praise 
that is meet: receive. Lord, out of the mouth of sinners the 
hymn of the Trisagion, and visit us in thy goodness. For- 
give us every offense, voluntary and involuntary. Sanctify 



74 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

our souls and bodies, and grant that we may serve thee in 
hohness all the days of our life ; through the intercession of 
the holy Mother of God, and all the saints who have pleased 
thee since the beginning of the world. (Aloud.) For holy 
art thou, our God, and to thee be glory, etc. 

When this prayer is finished, the priest also and deacon 
say the Trisagion, making a reverence at the same time 
before the holy table. Then the deacon saith to the priest: 

Sir, give the order. And they go towards the throne. 

And the priest saith as he goes: 

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

Deacon. Sir, bless the throne. 

Priest. Blessed art thou upon the throne of thy glory, 
who sittest upon the Cherubim, always, now and ever, and 
to ages of ages. 

And when the choir have finished the Trisagion, the 
deacon, coming before the holy doors, saith: 

Let us attend. 

Reader. Alleluia. 

Deacon. Wisdom. 

The reader saith the Prokimenon"^ of the Apostle, e. g., 
on the festival of St. Demetrius. 

The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord. 

Versicle. Hear, O God, my voice. 

Deacon. Let us attend. 

The Apostle is read. 

And the Apostle being ended, the priest saith: 

Peace be to thee. 

Reader. Alleluia. 

While the Alleluia is being sung, the deacon goes to the 
priest, and after asking for a blessing from him, censes the 
holy table in a circle, and the whole sanctuary, and the priest. 
And the priest saith the prayer before the Gospel. 

O Lord and Lover of men, cause the pure light of thy 
divine knowledge to shine forth in our hearts, and open the 

* A short anthem before the Epistle, consisting of a verse and 
response. 



WORSHIP IN th;e eastern church. 75 

«yes of our understanding, that we may comprehend the 
precepts of thy Gospel. Plant in us also the fear of thy 
blessed commandments, that we, trampling upon all carnal 
lusts, may seek a heavenly citizenship, both saying and do- 
ing always such things as shall well please thee. For thou 
art the illumination of our souls and bodies, Christ our God ; 
and to thee we ascribe glory, etc. 

And the deacon drazving nigh to the priest, and laying 
aside his censer, and bozving to the priest and holding the 
Orarion zvith the holy Gospel zvith the tips of his fingers, in 
the place of the holy table whereupon it lies, saith: 

Sir, bless the preacher of the holy Apostle and Evan- 
gelist N. 

And the priest, signing him zvith the cross, saith: 

God, through the preaching of the holy and glorious 
Apostle and Evangelist N., give the word with much power 
to thee who evangelizest, to the accomplishment of the 
Gospel of his beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Deacon. Amen. 

And having adored zvith reverence the holy Gospel, he 
takes it lip; and going through the holy doors, preceded by 
tapers, he stands in the anibon, or in the appointed place. 
And the priest, standing before the holy table and looking 
tozvards the zvest, saith with a loud voice: 

Wisdom, stand up; let us hear the holy Gospel. Peace 
to all. 

Deacon. The lection of the holy Gospel according to N. 

Priest. Let us attend. 

The Gospel is read. 

When it is finished, the priest saith to the deacon: 

Peace be to thee that evangelizest. 

And the deacon going to the holy doors, returns the holy 
Gospel to the priest; and standing in the accustomed place, 
begins thus: 

Let us all say with our whole heart and soul. 

Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice.) 



76 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray thee, hear,, 
and have mercy upon us. 

Have mercy upon us, O God, after thy great goodness: 
We pray thee hear, and have mercy upon us. 
Prayer of the Ectene."^ 

Lord our God, we pray thee to receive this intense sup- 
pHcation from thy servants, according to the multitude of 
thy mercy, and send down thy compassion upon us, and 
upon all thy people, which is expecting the rich mercy that 
is from thee. 

Deacon. Further we pray for pious and orthodox Chris- 
tians. 

People. Lord, have mercy. (And so at the end of every 
petition. ) 

Further, we pray for our archbishop N. 

Further, we pray for our brethren, priests, monks, and all 
our brotherhood in Christ. 

Further, we pray for the blessed and ever memorable 
founders of this holy abode, and for all our fathers and 
brethren that have fallen asleep before us, and lie here, and 
the orthodox that lie everywhere. 

Further, we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, safety, 
protection, forgiveness, and remission of sins of the servants 
of God, the brethren of this holy habitation. 

Further, we pray for them that bring forth fruit and do 
good deeds in this holy and all-venerable temple, that labor, 
that sing, and for the people that stand around, and are 
expecting the great and rich mercy that is from thee. 

Exclamation. For thou art the merciful God and the 
lover of men, and to thee we ascribe glory, honor, and 
worship, etc. 

Deacon. Catechumens, pray unto the Lord. Let us, the 
faithful, pray for the catechumens, that the Lord may have 
mercy upon them, and may teach them the word of truth. 

People. Lord, have mercy. (And so at the end of each 
petition.) 

* A kind of Litany. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. ']'] 

That he may reveal to them the Gospel of righteousness. 

That he may unite them to his holy catholic and Apos- 
tolic Church. 

Preserve, have mercy, support, and continually guard 
them, O God. 

Catechumens, bow your heads to the Lord. 

Prayer of the Catechumens Before the Holy Oblation. 

Lord our God, who dwellest on high, and beholdest the 
liumble, who didst send forth the salvation of the race of 
man, thine only begotten Son, our God and Lord Jesus 
Christ, look down upon thy servants, the catechumens, who 
have bowed their necks unto thee, and make them worthy, 
in due season, of the laver of regeneration, of the forgive- 
ness of sins, of the robe of immortality; unite them to thy 
holy catholic and Apostolic Church, and number them to- 
gether with thy elect flock. (Aloud.) That they also, to- 
gether with us, may glorify thy honorable and majestic 
name. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to 
ages of ages. 

Choir. Amen. 

The Priest unfolds the Corporal."^ 

EXPULSION OF THE CATECHUMENS. 

Deacon. Let all the catechumens depart; catechumens, 
depart; let all the catechumens depart; let not any of the 
catechumens, let all the faithful, stay. 

Again and again in peace let us make our supplications to 
the Lord. {And he saith the short Ectene, while the priest 
saith secretly.) 

The First Prayer of the Faithful^ after the Unfolding of the 

Corporal. 

We yield thee thanks. Lord God of Sabaoth, who hast 
thought us worthy to stand even now at thy altar, and to fall 

* A fine linen cloth used to cover the sacred elements in the Eucharist, 
or in which the sacrament is put, . 



78 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

down before thy mercies, for our sins and the ignorances of 
thy people; receive, O God, our suppHcations ; make us 
worthy to offer to thee suppHcations and prayers and un- 
bloody sacrifices for all thy people; and strengthen us, 
whom thou hast placed in this thy ministry, with the 
strength of the Holy Ghost, that we may without offense, 
and without scandal, in the pure testimony of our con- 
science, call upon thee in every time and place ; that hearing 
us thou mayest be merciful to us in the multitude of thy 
goodness. 

Deacon. Assist, preserve, pity, etc. 

WISDOM. 

Priest. (Exclamation). For to thee belorigeth all glory, 
honor, and worship. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and 
ever, and to ages of ages. 

Deacon. Again and again in peace let us make our sup- 
plications to the Lord. (And he saith the short Ectene; 
while the priest saith secretly. ) 

The Second Prayer of the Faithfid. 

Again and oftentimes we fall down before thee, and be- 
seech thee, O good God and Lover of men, that thou 
wouldst look upon our prayers, purify our souls and bodies 
froni all pollution of flesh and spirit, and grant that our 
standing before thy holy altar may be irreprehensible and 
unblamable. Grant, O Lord, to them who pray together 
with us, advance in holy life, wisdom, and spiritual under- 
standing : grant them at all times with fear and love to serve 
thee irreprehensibly ; and without condemnation to partake 
of thy holy mysteries, and to be thought worthy of thy 
heavenly kingdom. 

Deacon. Assist, preserve, pity, etc. 

WISDOM. 

Priest. (Exclamation.) That, being ever guarded by thy 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 79 

might, we may ascribe glory to thee; Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. 
Choir. Amen. 

The Choir sing the Cherubic Hymn. 

Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim, and sing 
the holy hymn to the quickening Trinity, lay by at this time 
all worldly cares, that we may receive the King of Glory, 
invisibly attended by the angelic orders. Alleluia, Alleluia, 
Alleluia. 

Prayer which the priest saith secretly, while the Cherubic 
Hymn is being sung. 

None is worthy among them that are bound with fleshly 
desires and pleasures to approach thee, nor to draw near or 
to sacrifice unto thee. King of Glory; for to minister unto 
thee is great and fearful, even to the heavenly powers them- 
selves. Yet through thine ineffable and measureless love, 
thou didst unchangeably and immutably become man, and 
didst take the title of our High Priest, and didst give to us 
the hierurgy of this liturgic and unbloody sacrifice, as being 
Lord of all : for thou only, O Lord our God, rulest over 
things in heaven and things on earth, and who sittest upon 
the cherubic throne. Lord of Seraphim, and King of Israel, 
only holy, and resting in the holies. On thee I importu- 
nately call ; thou art only good and ready to hear ; look upon 
me, a sinner, and thine unworthy servants, and cleanse my 
soul and heart from an evil conscience; and strengthen, 
with the might of thy Holy Ghost, me that have been 
endued with the grace of the priesthood, that I may stand 
by this thy holy altar, and sacrifice thy holy and spotless 
body and precious blood. For thee I approach bowing my 
neck, and pray of thee, turn not thy face away from me, nor 
reject me from the number of thy sons ; but condescend 
that these gifts may be offered to thee by me, a sinner and 
thine unworthy servant. For thou art he that offerest and 
art offered, and receivest and art distributed, Christ our 
God ; and to thee we ascribe glory, honor, worship, etc. 



8o CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

When this prayer is 'finished, they also say the Cherubic 
Hymn. Then the deacon, taking the censer, and putting in- 
cense upon it, goes to the priest; and after receiving a bless- 
ing from him, censes the holy table in a circle, and all the 
sanctuary, and the priest; and he saith the fifty-first Psalm, 
and other penitential Troparia, such as he zvill, zvith the- 
priest. And they go to the Prothesis, the deacon preceding. 
And the deacon having censed the holy things, and said to 
himself, 

God be merciful to me, a sinner, saith to the priest. 

Sir, lift up. 

And the priest raising the Air,"^ puts it on the left shoulder 
of the deacon, saying: 

Lift up 3^our hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. 

Then, taking the holy disk, he puts it zvith all care and rev- 
erence on the deacon's head, the deacon also holding the 
censer zvith one of his fingers. And the priest himself taking 
the holy chalice in his hands, they go through the north part, 
pi^eceded by tapers, and make 

THE GREAT ENTRANCE^f 

both praying for all, and saying: 

The Lord God remember us all in his kingdom, always, 
now and ever, and to ages of ages. 

And the deacon, going zvithin the holy doors, stands on 
the right hand; and zvhen the priest is about to enter in, he 
saith to him: 

The Lord God remember thy priesthood in his kingdom. 

Priest. The Lord God remember thy diaconate in his 
kingdom, always, now^ and ever, and to ages of ages. 

And the priest sets dozvn the chalice on the holy table, and 
taking the holy disk from the head of the deacon, he places 
it there also, saying: 

Honorable Joseph took thy spotless body from the cross, 

* The fine veil which lies over the paten and chalice. 
tThe carrying of the Elements from the Prothesis to the Altar— 
the most imposing ceremony of the Eastern Church. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 8 1 

and wrapped it in clean linen with spices, and with funeral 
rites placed it in a new tomb. 

In the grave bodily, in Hades spiritually, as God, with the 
thief in paradise as in a throne, wast thou, O Christ, with the 
Father, and the Holy Ghost, who art incircumscript and fill- 
est all things. 

How life-giving, how more beautiful than paradise, and 
verily more splendid than any royal chamber, is thy tomb, 
O Christ, the fountain of our resurrection. 

Thefij taking the coverings from the holy disk and the 
holy chalice, he places them on one part of the holy table; 
and taking the Air from the deacon's shoulder, and censing 
it, he covers zvith it the holy things, saying: 

Honorable Joseph took thy spotless body from the cross 
and wrapped it in clean linen with spices, and with funeral 
rites placed it in a new tomb. 

And taking the censer froin the deacon s hands, he censeth 
the holy things thrice, saying: 

Then shall they offer young bullocks upon thy altar. 

And putting dozvn the censer, and letting fall his phelo- 
nion,"^ and hoiving his head, he saith to the deacon: 

Remember me, brother and fellow-minister. 

Deacon. The Lord God remember thy priesthood in his 
kingdom. 

Then the deacon also himself slightly hozving his head, 
and holding his Orarion with the three fingers of his right 
hand, saith to the priest: 

Holy Sir, pray for me. 

Priest. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the 
power of the highest shall overshadow thee. 

Deacon. The same spirit shall be fellow-minister with us 
all the days of our life. 

And again. Holy Sir, remember me. 

Priest. The Lord God remember thee in his kingdom, 
always, now and ever, and to ages of ages. 

Deacon. Amen. 

* The Eastern chasuble. 
6 



82 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

And having kissed the pries fs hand, he goes out, and, 
standing in the customary place, saith: 

Let us accomplish our supplications to the Lord. 

Choir. Kyrie eleison. (And so at the end of each suf- 
frage.) 

Deacon. For the precious gifts that have been proposed^ 
let us make our supplications to the Lord. 

For this holy house, and them that with faith, reverence,, 
and the fear of God, enter into it, let us make our suppli- 
cations to the Lord. 

That we may be delivered from all afflictions, passion,, 
danger, and necessity, let us make, etc. 

Assist, preserve, pity, etc. 

That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, with- 
out sin, let us ask from the Lord. 

Choir. Grant, O Lord. (And so at the end of every suf- 
frage. 

Deacon. For the angel of peace, faithful guide, guardian 
of our souls and bodies, let us make, etc. 

For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions,, 
let us make, etc. 

For things that are good and profitable for our souls, and 
peace to the world, let us make, etc. 

That we may accomplish the remainder of our lives in 
peace and penitence, let us make, etc. 

Christian ends of our lives, without torment, without 
shame, peaceful, and a good defense at the fearful tribunal,. 
let us ask from Christ. 

Commemorating the all-holy, . . . glorious Lady, etc. 

As this Ectene is being said, the priest saith secretly the 
prayer of oblation, after the divine gifts are placed on the 
holy table. 

Lord, God Almighty, only Holy, who receivest the sacri- 
fice of praise from them that call upon thee with their whole 
heart, receive also the supplication of us sinners, and cause 
it to approach to thy holy altar and enable us to present 
gifts to thee, and spiritual sacrifices for our sins, and for the 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 83 

errors of the people ; and cause us to find grace in thy sight, 
that this our sacrifice may be acceptable unto thee, and that 
the good Spirit of thy grace may tabernacle upon us, and 
upon these gifts presented unto thee, and upon all thy 
people. 

Priest. (Exclamation.) Through the mercies of thine 
only begotten Son, with whom thou art to be blessed, and 
with the all-holy, and good, and quickening Spirit, now and 
ever, and to ages of ages. 

Peace to all. 

Deacon. Let us love one another, that we may with one 
mind confess. 

Choir. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the consubstantial 
and undivided Trinity. 

And the priest having thrice adored^ kisses the holy gifts: 
as they lie veiled, saying secretly thrice: 

I will love thee, O Lord my strength ; the Lord is my 
stony rock and my defense. 

// there he two or more priests, each kisses the holy things^ 
and then each other on the shoulder, saying: 

Christ is among us. 

He is and will be. 

In like manner also the deacon adores thrice where he 
stands, and kisses his Orarion on its cross, and thus ex- 
claims: 

The doors, the doors ; let us attend in wisdom. 

People. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty {with 
the rest of the Nicene Creed). 

Deacon. Stand we well : stand we with fear : let us attend 
to offer the holy oblation in peace. 

Choir. The mercy of peace, the sacrifice of praise. 

And the deacon adores, and comes to the holy hema; and' 
taking the fan, fans the oblation reverentl^\ 

And the priest taking the Air from the holy gifts, lays it 
on one side, saying: 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God 



84 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with 
you all. 

Choir. And with thy spirit. 

Priest. Lift we up our hearts. 

Choir. We lift them up unto the Lord. 

Priest. Let us give thanks unto the Lord. 

Choir. It is meet and right to worship the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost, the consubstantial and undivided 
Trinity. 

Priest. It is meet and right to hymn thee, to bless thee, to 
praise thee, to give thanks to thee, to worship thee, in every 
part of thy dominion. For thou art God, ineffable, incon- 
ceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, the same from ever- 
lasting to everlasting; thou, and thine only begotten Son, 
and the Holy Ghost. For thou broughtest us forth to being 
from nothing, and when we had fallen didst raise us up 
again, and gavest not over until thou hadst done every thing 
that thou mightest bring us to Heaven, and bestow upon us 
thy kingdom to come. For all these things we give- thanks 
to thee, and to thine only begotten Son, and thy Holy Ghost, 
for thy benefits which we know and which we know not, 
manifest and concealed, which thou hast bestowed upon us. 
We give thee thanks also for this ministry which thou hast 
vouchsafed to receive at our hands: although there stand 
by thee thousands of archangels, and ten thousands of 
angels, the Cherubim, and the Seraphim that have six wings, 
and are full of eyes, and soar aloft on their wings, singing, 
vociferating, shouting, and saying the triumphal hymn: 

Choir. Holy, holy, holy. Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and 
■earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest : blessed 
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : Hosanna in the 
highest. 

Then the deacon taking the asterisk * from the holy desk, 
signs it with the sign of the cross, and having saluted it, re- 
places it. 

* This is a folding frame used to prevent the veil or air from disar- 
ranging the portions of bread. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 85 

Priest. We also with these blessed powers, Lord and 
Lover of men, cry and say, holy art thou and all-holy, thou 
and thine only begotten Son, and thine Holy Ghost. Holy 
art thou and all-holy, and great is the majesty of thy glory : 
who didst so love thy world, as to give thine only begotten 
Son, that whoso believeth in him might not perish, but 
have everlasting life: who having come, and having ful- 
filled for us all the dispensation, in the night wherein he 
was betrayed, or rather surrendered himself for the life of 
the world, took bread in his holy and pure and spotless 
hands, and gave thanks, and blessed, and hallowed, and 
brake, and gave to his holy disciples and Apostles, saying 
(aloud), Take, eat: this is my body which is broken for 
you for the remission of sins. 

Choir. Amen. 

Priest. (In a lozv voice.) Likewise after supper he took 
the cup, saying (aloud), Drink ye all of this: this is my 
blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for 
many for the remission of sins. 

Choir. Amen. 

Priest. (In alow voice.) We therefore remembering this 
salutary precept, and all that happened on our behalf, the 
cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascen- 
sion into heaven, the session on the right hand, the second 
and glorious coming again (aloud), in behalf of all, and for 
all, we offer thee thine own of thine own. 

Choir. Thee we hymn, thee we praise : to thee we give 
thanks. Lord, and pray to thee, our God. 

Priest. (In a lozv voice.) Moreover we offer unto thee 
this reasonable and unbloody sacrifice : and beseech thee and 
pray and supplicate ; send down thy Holy Ghost * upon us, 
and on these proposed gifts. 

The deacon lays dozvn the veil, and goes nearer to the 

* According to the doctrine of the Eastern Church, it is at the moment 
of this invocation that the bread and wine are changed or transubstan- 
tiated into the very body and blood of Christ. 



86 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

priest, and they both adore thrice before the holy table, pray- 
ing secretly, saying: 

God be merciful to me a sinner. 

Then 

Lord, who didst send down thy Holy Ghost the third hour 
on the Apostles, take him not from us, O good God, but 
renew him in us who pray to thee : 

Then 

Make me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit 
within me. Cast me not away from thy presence. 

Glory. 

Blessed art thou, Christ our God, who didst fill the fisher- 
men with all manner of wisdom, sending down upon them 
the Holy Ghost : and by them hast brought the whole world 
into thy net, O Lover of men : Glory be to thee, etc. 

When the Highest came down and confounded the 
tongues, he divided the nations; when he distributed the 
tongues of fire he called all to unity, and with one voice we 
praise the Holy Ghost. 

Then the deacon bowing his head, and pointing with his 
Orarion to the holy bread, saith in a low voice: 

Sir, bless the holy bread. 

The priest standeth up, and thrice maketh the sign of the 
cross on the holy gifts, saying: 

And make this bread the precious body of thy Christ. 

Deacon. Amen. Sir, bless the holy cup. 

Priest. And that which is in this cup, the precious blood 
of thy Christ. 

Deacon. Amen. And pointing with his Orarion to both 
the holy things. 

Sir, bless. 

Priest, Changing them by thy Holy Ghost. 

Deacon. Amen, Amen, Amen. 

Then the deacon boweth his head to the priest, and saith: 

Holy Sir, remember me a sinner. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 87 

Then he stands in his former place, and taking the fan, 
fans the oblation as before. 

Priest. So that they may be to those that participate, for 
purification of soul, forgiveness of sins, communion of the 
Holy Ghost, fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven, boldness 
towards thee, and not to judgment nor to condemnation. 

And further, we offer to thee this reasonable service on 
behalf of those who have departed in the faith, our ances- 
tors, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evan- 
gelists, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and every just spirit 
made perfect in the faith. 

The deacon censes the holy table in a circle, and commem- 
orates such of the living and dead as he zvill. ■ 

Priest. {Aloud.) Especially the most holy, undefiled, 
excellently laudable, glorious Lady, the Mother of God and 
ever Virgin Mary. 

Choir. In thee, O full of grace, all creation exults, the 
hierarchy of angels, and the race of men; in thee, sanctified 
temple, spiritual paradise, glory of virgins, of whom God 
took flesh; our God, that was before the world, became a 
child. For he made thy womb his throne, and rendered it 
more extended than the heavens. In thee, O full of grace, 
all creation exults ; glory to thee. 

The deacon reads the Diptychs * of the departed. 
Priest. The holy John the prophet, forerunner, and bap- 
tist, the holy, glorious, and all celebrated Apostles, Saint N. 
(the Saint of the day), whose memory we also celebrate, and 
all thy saints, through whose prayers look down upon us, O 
God. And remember all those that are departed in the hope 
of the resurrection to eternal life, and give them rest where 
the light of thy countenance shines upon them. Further- 
more, we beseech thee, remember, O Lord, every orthodox 
bishopric of those that rightly divide the Word of truth, the 

* A diptych is a double catalogue, one part containing the names of 
the living, and the other those of deceased ecclesiastics and benefactors 
of the Chtirch. 



88 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

presbytery, the diaconate in Christ, and for every hierarch- 
ical order. Furthermore, we offer to thee this reasonable ser- 
vice for the whole world : for the holy catholic and Apos- 
tolic Church, and for them that live in chastity and holiness 
of life. For our most faithful kings, beloved of Christ, all 
their court and army. Grant to them, Lord, a peaceful 
reign, that we, in their peace, may lead a quiet and peace- 
able life in all godliness and honesty. (Aloud.) Chiefly, O 
Lord, remember our Archbishop N., whom preserve to thy 
holy Church in safety, in honor, in health, in length of days, 
and rightly dividing the Word of thy truth. 

The deacon by the holy door saith, 

N. the Patriarch, Metropolitan, or bishop {as the case may 
he). 

Then he commemorates the Diptychs of the living. 

Priest {secretly). Remember, Lord, the city in which we 
dwell, and every city and region and the faithful that in- 
habit it. Remember, Lord, them that voyage and travel, 
that are sick, that are laboring, that are in prison, and their 
safety. Remember, Lord, them that bear fruit, and do good 
deeds in th}^ holy churches, and that remember the poor. 
And send forth on us all the riches of thy compassion 
{aloud), and grant us with one mouth and one heart to 
glorify and celebrate thy glorious and majestic name. 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of 
ages. And the mercies of the great God and our Saviour 
Jesus Christ shall be with all of us. 

The deacon taking his time from the priest, and standing 
in the accustomed place, saith: 

Commemorating all saints, again and again let us make 
our supplications to the Lord. 

Choir. Lord, have mercy. {And so at the end of each 
petition.) 

Deacon. For the venerable gifts now offered before him 
and hallowed. 

That our merciful God, the Lover of mankind, who hath 
received them unto his holy and heavenly and spiritual altar. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 89 

for the savor of a sweet spiritual scent, may in return send 
down on us his divine grace, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

That we may be preserved from all affliction, wrath, etc. 
{The deacon continuing the Ectene down to " Christian ends 
of life.") 

The priest meanwhile saith secretly: 

To thee, O Lord and Lover of men, we commend in 
pledge all our life and our hope, and beseech and pray, and 
supplicate : make us worthy to partake of thy heavenly and 
terrible mysteries of this holy and spiritual table, with a pure 
conscience for the remission of sins, forgiveness of trans- 
gressions, participation of the Holy Ghost, inheritance of the 
kingdom of heaven, boldness of access to thee : not to judg- 
ment nor to condemnation. 

Deacon. Having prayed for the enemies of the faith, and 
the participation of the Holy Ghost, let us commend our- 
selves and each other and all our life to Christ our God. 

Priest (aloud). And make us worthy, O Lord, with bold- 
ness and without condemnation, to dare to call upon thee,, 
our God and Father which al*t in heaven, and to say : 

People. Our Father, which art in heaven, etc. 

Priest. For thine is the kingdom. 

Priest. Peace to all. 

Deacon. Let us bow our heads to the Lord. 

Priest. We render thanks to thee, O King invisible, who 
hast framed all things by thy measureless power, and in the 
multitude of thy mercy hast brought all things into being 
from non-existence. Look down, O Lord, from heaven, 
upon. them that have bowed their heads unto thee, for they 
bowed them not to flesh and blood, but to thee, the fearful 
God. Bestow, therefore, O Lord, on all of us an equal 
benefit from these offerings, according to the need of each : 
sail with them that sail, journey with them that journey, 
heal the sick, thou who art the physician of our souls and 
bodies. 

{Aloud.) Through the grace, and mercy, and love to 
men, of thine only begotten Son, with whom, together with 



90 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the most holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, thou art 
blessed, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen. 

Hear us, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, out of thy holy 
dwelling place, and from the throne of the glory of thy king- 
dom, and come and sanctify us, thou that sittest above with 
the Father, and art here invisibly present with us : and by 
thy mighty hand make us worthy to partake of thy spotless 
body and precious blood, and by us all thy people. 

The priest and the deacons adore in the place where they 
stand, saying secretly thrice: 

God be merciful to me a sinner. 

And when the deacon sees the priest stretching forth his 
hands, and touching the holy bread, to make the holy eleva- 
tion, he exclaims: 

Let us attend. 

And the priest, elevating the holy bread, exclaims: 

Holy things for holy persons.* 

Choir. One holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of 
God the Father. 

And the Choir sing the Koinonicon:f e. g., on the festivals 
of the Apostles: 

Their sound is gone out into all lands: and their words 
into the ends of the world. 

The deacon then girds his Orarion crosszvise, and goes 
into the holy bema, and standing on the right hand {the 
priest grasping the holy bread), saith: 

Sir, break the holy bread. 

And the priest, dividing it with care and reverence, saith: 

The Lamb of God is broken and distributed; he that is 
broken and not divided in sunder; ever eaten and never 
consumed, but sanctifying the communicants. 

And the deacon pointing zvith his Orarion to the holy cup, 
saith: 

Sir, fill the holy cup. 

* This exclamation, which is accompanied with the elevation of the 
Host, forms a part of all Eastern Liturgies. 

t A versicle deriving its name from the communion, which It precedes. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 9 1 

A7td the priest taking the upper portion makes zvith it a 
cross above the holy cup, saying: 

The fullness of the cup, of faith, of the Holy Ghost, and 
thus puts it into the holy cup. 

Deacon. Amen. 

And taking the warm vuater, he saith to the priest: 

Sir, bless the warm water. 

And the priest hlesseth, saying: 

Blessed is the fervor of thy saints, always, now and ever, 
and to ages of ages. Amen. 

And the deacon pours forth a sufficiency into the holy cup, 
in the form of a cross, saying: 

The fervor of faith, full of the Holy Ghost. (Thrice.) 

Then setting dozvn the warm zvater, he stands a little way 
off. And the priest, taking a particle of the holy bread, 
saith: 

The blessed and most holy body of our Lord and God 
and Saviour Jesus Christ is communicated to me, N., priest, 
for the remission of my sins, and for everlasting life. 

I believe. Lord, and confess. 

Of thy mystic supper to-day. 

Let not, O Lord, the communion of thy holy mysteries 
be to my judgment or condemnation, but to the healing of 
my soul and body. 

And thus he partakes of that which is in his hands zvith 
fear and all caution. Then he saith: 

Deacon, approach. 

And the deacon approaches, and reverently makes an 
obeisance, asking forgiveness. And the priest, taking the 
holy bread, gives it to the deacon; and the deacon, kissing 
the hand that gives, saith: 

Sir, make me partaker of the holy and precious body of 
our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Priest. N., the holy deacon, is made partaker of the 
precious and holy and spotless body of our Lord and God 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, for the remission of his sins, and 
for eternal life. 



92 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

And the deacon going behind the holy table, boweth his 
head and prayeth, and so doth the priest. 

Then the priest standing up, takes the holy chalice with 
its covering in both hands, and drinks three times, saying, 

I, N., priest, partake of the pure and holy blood of our 
Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
my sins, and for eternal life. 

And then he wipes the holy cup and his own lips with the 
covering he has in his hands, and saith: 

Behold, this hath touched my lips, and shall take away my 
transgressions, and purge my sins. 

Then he calls the deacon, saying. 

Deacon, approach. 

The deacon comes and adoring once, saith: 

Behold, I approach the immortal King. 

I believe. Lord, and confess. 

Priest. N., the deacon and servant of God, is made par- 
taker of the precious and holy blood of our Lord and God 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and for 
eternal life. 

And zvhen the deacon hath communicated, the priest saith: 

Behold, this hath touched thy lips. 

Then the deacon, taking the holy disk, and holding it over 
the holy chalice, zvipes it thoroughly with the holy sponge; 
and with care and reverence covers it with the veil. In like 
manner he covers the disk zvith the asterisk, and that with 
its veil. 

The priest saith the prayer of the Thanksgiving. 

We yield thee thanks, O Lord and Lover of men, bene- 
factor of our souls, that thou hast this day thought us 
worthy of thy heavenly and immortal mysteries. Rightly 
divide our path, confirm us all in thy fear, guard our life,, 
make safe our goings: through the prayers and supplica- 
tions of the glorious Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, 
and all thy saints. 

And thus they open the doors of the holy bema; and the 
deacon, having made one adoration, takes the chalice with 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 93 

reverence, and goes to the door, and raising the holy chalice , 
shows it to the people, saying: 

Approach with the fear of God, faith and love. 

They who are to communicate draw near with all rever- 
ence, and hold their arms crossed on their breast; and the 
priest, as he distributes the mysteries to each, saith: 

N., the servant of God, is made partaker of the pure and 
holy body and blood of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, for the remission of his sins, and life everlasting. 

Then the priest blesseth the people, saying aloud: 

O God, save thy people, and bless thine heritage. 

The deacon and the priest return to the holy table, and the 
priest censeth thrice, saying secretly. 

Be thou exalted, Lord, above the heavens : and thy glory 
above all the earth. 

Then, taking the holy disk, he puts it upon the head of the 
deacon, and the deacon taking it with reverence, and looking 
out towards the door, goes in silence to the prothesis, and 
puts it down: and the priest having made obeisance takes the 
holy chalice, and turns tozvards the door, saying secretly: 

Blessed be our God: (then aloud) always,„now and ever, 
and to ages of ages. 

And the deacon having come out, and standing in the ac- 
customed place, saith: 

Standing upright, and having partaken of the divine, holy, 
spotless, immortal, heavenly, life-giving, and terrible mys- 
teries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord. 

Assist, preserve, pity, etc. 

That we may pass this whole day. 

Exclamation. For thou art our sanctification, and to 
thee we ascribe glory, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now 
and ever, and to ages of ages. 

Choir. Amen. 

Priest. Let us go on in peace. 

Deacon. Let us make our supplications to the Lord. 

Prayer behind the ambon, said aloud by the priest zvithout 
the bcma. 



94 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Lord, who blessest them that bless thee, and sanctifiest 
them that put their trust in thee, save thy people, and bless; 
thine inheritance : guard with care the fullness of thy 
Church: hallow those that love the beauty of thine house.. 
Glorify them in return by thy divine might, and forsake not 
them that put their trust in thee ; give thy peace to thy world,, 
to thy churches, to our priests and kings ; to the army, and. 
to all thy people; because every good and perfect gift is from' 
above, and cometh down from thee, the Father of lights; 
and to thee we ascribe glory, etc. 

This being elided the priest goes through the holy doors,, 
and departs into the pro thesis, and saith this prayer: 

Thou, O Christ our God, who art thyself the fullness of 
the law and the prophets, who didst accomplish all the dis- 
pensation of thy Father, fill our hearts with joy and glad- 
ness, always, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen. 

Deacon. Let us make our supplications to the Lord. 

Priest. The blessings of the Lord be upon you. Then,. 
Glory to thee our God : Glory to thee. 

People. Glory, worship, etc. 

Then the de<icon, also going through the north part, gath- 
ers together the holy things, with fear and all safety: so that 
not the very smallest particle shoidd fall out, or he left: and 
he washes his hands in the accustomed place. And the priest 
goes forth, and gives the antidoron^ to the people. Then he 
goes into the holy hema, and puts off his priestly vestments, 
saying. Nunc dimittis, the Trisagion, and the other things. 
Then he saith the dismissory prayer of St. Chrysostom. 

The grace of thy lips, shining forth like a torch, illumi- 
nated the world, enriched the universe with the treasures of 
liberality, and manifested to us the height of humility: but 
do thou, our instructor, by thy words, Father John Chrys- 
ostom, intercede to the Word, Christ our God, that our souls 
may be saved. 

Lord, have mercy. {Twelve times.) 

* The Antidoron is the bread which has been offered for the Sacra- 
ment, but which was not required for consecration. 



WORSHIP IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 95 

Glory, honor, and worship, etc. 
Thee the more honorable than the Cherubim. 
And he makes the dismission: and having adored^ and 
given thanks to God for all things, he departs. 



We may sum up the leading features of this period as 
follows : 

1. The complete establishment of the hierarchical and 
monarchical form of church government. 

2. The universal acceptance of the sacerdotal character of 
the ministry. 

3. The general acceptance of the sacrificial view of the 
Lord's Supper, and the great prominence given to this Sac- 
rament. 

4. The essential distinction made between religious and 
secular, and the general introduction of superstitious and 
idolatrous practices. 

5. The degeneration of worship into an outward cere- 
mony, which was looked upon as meritorious in itself, and 
in which edification was sought, not from the operation of 
divine truth upon the heart and mind, but through the 
magical efficacy of the liturgy and sacrament. 

6. The disappearance of the sermon from worship, and 
the expansion of the liturgy into an imposing dramatic and 
symbolical ritual. 



CHAPTER IV. 

WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. 
(600-1517.) 

In depicting the worship of the Western Church during 
the Middle Ages, only general outlines can be given. It is 
a period of strong contrasts, of lights and shadows, of glory 
and degradation. On the one hand we have that flaming 
missionary zeal which gave the Gospel to the Germanic na- 
tions, who were to succeed Greece and Rome as standard- 
bearers in the world's grand march of progress. On the 
other hand we have reeking corruption among the clergy, 
and a long contest between Church and State, with the 
former finally victorious. 

Heroic were the efforts made by individuals to reform the 
Church, but these efforts were rewarded with the ban, ex- 
communication, and the stake. The times were not yet ripe 
for reformation. Huss was burned, and Wyclif's ashes 
were scattered on the seas. 

The earnestness manifested by the laity and by individuals 
of the clergy during the Middle Ages excites our highest 
admiration. There was much error, superstition and igno- 
rance. These were the Dark Ages. But these seemed to 
make religion only the more real. It was an age of faith — 
in German, Aberglaube. The spirit world stood out before 
the imagination of the people with terrible reality. They 
believed that good spirits, evil spirits, God, Satan, were 
round about them, that heaven and hell were nigh them. 

It was an age of earnest purpose. " It is the will of God," 
said Peter the Hermit. " It is the will of God," responded 
nine millions of men, as they rushed to the Holy Land to 
snatch the Lord's sepulchre from the hand of the infidel. 

It was an age of lofty conceptions. The great cathedrals, 

(96) 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. 97 

their pillars soaring heavenward like the cedars of Lebanon, 
their star-lit canopies, their symbolic figures, their high 
altars, their images of saints, their tombs of the dead, repre- 
sent the whole world tranfigured into the kingdom of God, 
and testify by their magnificence and surpassing splendor to 
the pre-eminence and power of the Christian religion. 

It was an age of poetic inspiration. It opened the foun- 
tain of sacred song, and brought forth those majestic hymns 
which even to-day awe and inspire, soften and thrill, the 
Christian heart. The sublimest of all the mediaeval hymns 
is the " Dies Irse " of Thomas De Celano, beginning : 

" That day of wrath, that dreadful day 
When heaven and earth shall pass away," 

while the most pathetic is the " Stabat Mater " of Jacobus 
de Benedictus, which begins : 

" By the cross, sad vigil keeping, 
Stood the mournful mother weeping," 

Adam of St. Victor gave us, 

"Be the Cross our theme and story;" 

and Bernard of Morlas wrote " The Celestial Country," 
beginning : 

" The world is very evil, 

The times are waxing late, 
Be sober and keep vigil: 
The Judge is at the gate." 

Robert, king of France, is said to have composed the " Veni 
Sancte Spiritus," 

*' O Holy Ghost ! Thou fire divine ! 
On us from highest heaven shine," 

while to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, we owe the hymn, 

" Hail, thou Head, so bruised and wounded." 

But these are only the points of light in the picture, which, 
by their very brightness, help to reveal the deep surrounding 
7 



98 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

darkness. This was the age of ecclesiasticism. The Church 
was no longer viewed as a community of saints, but as an 
outward organization, the property and possession of the 
clergy, with the pope at the head, claiming absolute author- 
ity over mankind. 

Gregory VIL, Alexander III. and Innocent III., beheld in 
the papal See the power destined to represent God upon the 
earth, to govern the souls and bodies of men, to rule princes 
and states. The state was not indeed abolished, but it was 
declared subservient to the papacy. " The world," said 
Gregory VIL, '' is governed by two lights — by the sun which 
is greater, and by the moon which is less. The Apostolic 
power is the sun; the royal power the moon. For as the 
latter has its light from the former, so do emperors, kings 
and princes receive power, through the pope, who receives 
it from God. Thus the power of the Roman Chair is 
greater than the power of the throne, and the king is sub- 
ordinate to the pope, and is bound to obey him."* 

In the famous bull Unam Sanctam, Boniface VIII. de- 
clared : '^ The spiritual sword is to be used by the Church, 
but the carnal sword for the Church' — the one in the hands 
of the priest, the other in the hands of kings and soldiers, 
but at the will and pleasure of the priest. It is right that 
the temporal sword and authority be subject to the spiritual 
power." It is well known that Henry IV., of Germany, 
stood in penitential garb at Canossa, and that John of Eng- 
land received his kingdom as a papal fief. 

These centuries witnessed also the triumph of the sacer- 
dotal idea. According to this idea the priesthood is distin- 
guished f ropi and raised above the laity in four particulars : 
I. The priest mediates between God and the people; 2. He 
has power to change the bread and wine of the Sacrament 
into the body and blood of Christ ; 3. He offers the sacrifice 
of the Mass for the sins of the living and the dead; 4. He 
has power to forgive sins. This doctrine denies the uni- 

* This famous passage, as here given, is translated from Kohlrausch's 
Deutsche Geschichte. 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH, 99 

versal priesthood of believers, and refuses to Christian com- 
munities the power to confer the ministerial office. The in- 
fluence of such a doctrine on worship is apparent. It tends 
to take it away from the people and to make it wholly sacer- 
dotal. And when this doctrine of the priesthood was added 
to the incredible superstition of the people, especially their 
view of God as an avenger who must be reconciled by 
the intercession of saints and the performance of meritori- 
ous works, worship, viewed on its subjective side, could no 
longer be praise, prayer and thanksgiving, but celebrations, 
pageants and gifts. Mosheim, writing of the eighth century, 
says : " The whole of religion or piety of this and some sub- 
sequent centuries, consisted in founding, enriching, embel- 
lishing, and enlarging churches and chapels, in hunting up 
and venerating the relics of holy men, in securing the pa- 
tronage of saints with God by means of gifts and super- 
stitious rites and ceremonies, in worshiping the images and 
statues of saints, in making pilgrimages to holy places, es- 
pecially to Palestine. . . . The true religion of Jesus Christ, 
if we except the few doctrines contained in the Creed, was 
wholly unknown in this age, even to the teachers of the 
highest rank; and all orders of society from the highest to 
the lowest, neglecting the duties of true piety and the reno- 
vation of the heart, fearlessly gave themselves up to every 
vice and crime, supposing that God could easily be appeased 
and reconciled to them by the intercession and prayers of 
the saints and by the friendly offices of the priests, the 
ministers of God." * 

But more than all was the shameless corruption of the 
clergy. The Vatican became the scene of unbelief, treach- 
ery and murder; and the dissolute entertainments given in 
the pontifical palace surpassed even the orgies of antiquity 
in licentiousness. The highest offices in the Church were 
purchased. Bishops led armies to the field of battle. Chil- 
dren were raised to the episcopal dignity. Profligate women 
ruled in the sacred Curia. Writing of the morality of the 

* Eccles. Hist., II., p. ZZ- 



lOO CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

clergy of a part of this period (1075-1305), Gieseler says: 
'' The ceHbacy of the clergy, which was now constituted as 
an ecclesiastical ordinance of more general application than 
before, could not be fully established in several countries 
until the thirteenth century. But it introduced in its train a 
greater increase of the most shameless licentiousness, from 
the readiness of the bishops to overlook it. Besides that 
unchastity, which already made many thoughtful minds mis- 
trustful of celibacy, utter worldliness and love of pleasure, 
avarice and simony, were the principal faults for which the 
clergy at this time were commonly rebuked with solemn 
earnestness, and upbraided with biting sarcasm." * 

But besides the more general features of popular super- 
stition, papal domination and sacerdotal corruption, there 
were three fundamental errors which still more powerfully 
affected the worship of the Middle Ages. 

I. The Scriptures zvere practically withdrawn from the 
people in favor of tradition. 

It was the policy of the early Church, both in the East 
and in the West, to give the Scriptures to the people in the 
vernacular. Jerome's Vulgate, completed in the early part 
of the fifth century, met the wants of the schools and of the 
learned in the Middle Ages, but it became unintelligible to 
the Romanic peoples when they began to form each its own 
distinct national tongue. Ulfilas' Gothic version of the 
fourth century had only a limited circulation among the 
Germanic nations, and was soon outgrown. The nations 
converted by Roman and Gallican missionary zeal received 
either the Roman or the Gallican sacramentary, which 
was in the Latin language. As a consequence, the peoples 
of the West for nearly a thousand years were left practically 
destitute of the chief means of grace, which is the Word of 
God. Preaching, which always goes hand-in-hand with 
Bible-reading and Bible-teaching, fell into comparative 
desuetude. As Kurtz and other historians tell us, the entire 
worship of the Church centered around the liturgy of the 
* Eccles. Hist, II,, p. 395. 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. lOI 

Lord's Supper. The Homiliarium, ordered by Charle- 
magne, who recognized the great importance of preaching, 
did some good and much harm. It fostered an indolent, ig- 
norant and incompetent clergy. The people generally left 
the Church when the homily began. The Mass and other 
ceremonies which appealed to the senses gained the upper 
hand, while the instruction and intelligence of the common 
people died out. Of what was called preaching very much 
was about the Virgin and saints and relics, and the recital of 
the legends and traditions of the Church, many of which 
were of recent origin. Among the traditions of recent ori- 
gin, the one which most affected the worship of the Church 
was that of the change of the elements in the Lord's Supper. 
When in the ninth century Paschasius enounced the doctrine 
of Transubstantiation, he was thought to oppose tradition. 
In the eleventh century, the doctrine was declared to be an 
old tradition. When the doctrine Was authoritatively pro- 
mulgated in 12 1 5, the last condition was supplied for a 
spectacular and sensuous worship. When the priest conse- 
crated the elements and raised them above his head, the 
people rendered them divine honors. The didactic element 
almost completely disappeared from public worship. The 
Word and the preaching of the Word yielded to tradition. 
Worship became an elaborate service of the priests. 

2. The Church occupied a false position in regard to^ 
salvation. 

The early Church had placed the essence of Christianity^ 
in renovation of life, John iii. 3, 5, 6. The Church of the 
Middle Ages placed it in fidelity to the Church itself. Only 
he could be saved who was lawfully united with the Church, 
because only the Church had the alone-saving Word and 
sacraments, and only her priests, by virtue of their divine 
ordination, could validly administer the means of grace.. 
Extra Ecclesiam, Nulla Salus. But the Ecclesia was the 
Ecclesia Romana. Only he was lawfully united with that 
Ecclesia, who accepted all her dogmas and obeyed all her 
behests. " In short," says Kahnis, " they alone could obtain 



I02 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

salvation who were faithful vassals of the external Church. 
While the external Church was thus interposing itself and 
its legal ordinances between Christ and the individual, man 
was not justified by faith alone, but by faith and the legal 
works which the Church imposed upon him. And what was 
this but a manifest relapse into Judaism? The Church had 
become a legally ordered divine authority, which did not 
suffer the individual man to become the individual child of 
God through faith in Christ, but degraded him into a servile 
instrument of her forms and aims." * 

The calendar of saints and of festival days was enlarged 
beyond all reason. The priests were required to exhort the 
people from the pulpit on Sunday to observe " the holy 
seasons and days which have fallen to us this week, and to 
honor them with prayer, fasting, alms-giving, attendance at 
Church, Mass, hearing sermons, and all other good words 
and works, as you desire that the holy saints shall be your 
intercessors and mediators before the Almighty God." Such 
is the language of the Mamiale Curatorum of the Middle 
Ages, as quoted by Dr. Plitt in his Einleihing in die 
Augustana, 11. , p. 384. 

Christ was practically forgotten or ignored. Salvation 
was linked to the supposed divinely appointed order of the 
Church. Worship was little else than the formal execution 
of that order. In all its parts it was essentially a doing and 
giving unto God for reconciliation. The Church, led by the 
Holy Ghost, it was said, had canonized the saints and had 
constituted the divine order of worship. It was necessary to 
salvation to believe what she taught, to do what her priests 
prescribed, to die under her benediction. 

3. The Church maintained an anti-Evangelical spirit. 

The freedom of the New Testament was sacrificed to the 
legalism of the Old Testament. Moses was substituted for 
Christ. The Jewish altar was erected in the Christian 
Church. The one High Priest who entered once into the 
Holy place and obtained eternal redemption, was displaced 
* The Mediaeval Church, p. 152. 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. 103 

by the multitude of priests who needed daily to offer up 
sacrifice. The divine Head of the Church, who had pur- 
chased the Church with his own blood, was exchanged for a 
human head which drank the blood of the martyrs. The 
worship of the supreme God was extended to a pantheon of 
saints. 

Thus the spirit of the Church became both Judaic and 
heathenish. '' It was objectively Judaic in the hierarchical 
form of the Church, which, with its high priest at Rome, its 
priests who gave themselves out as mediators, its times and 
places regarded as holy in themselves, its sacrifice upon the 
altar, had become the Old Testament theocracy; subjec- 
tively so in the legality and formality which everywhere pre- 
vailed. It was heathenish in the creature worship which 
prevailed in the adoration of the Virgin, saints and relics, in 
the exaltation of ecclesiastical dogmas and ordinances to the 
revelations of the Holy Spirit, and in the adoration of the 
pope as the vicegerent of Christ." * 

This brief sketch will serve to show the conditions and 
doctrines which determined the liturgical usages of the Mid- 
dle Ages. Spiritual worship gave place to outward cere- 
monies, — to elaborate Mass-rituals in the sanctuary, as 
elsewhere to all kinds of bodily exercises which have but 
little connection with moral and religious character. The 
liturgies themselves in use in the Western Church during the 
Middle Ages, will now be described. 



The liturgies of the Western Church are divided into 
three classes : ( i ) The Ephesine, which may be traced to the 
Ephesian Church, and includes the Gallican and Mozarabic 
Liturgies. (2) The Ambrosian, which is a mixture of the 
Ephesine and Petrine. (3) The Petrine, or that of Rome, 
which the Roman Catholic Church traces to St. Peter. 

I. THE EPHESINE CLASS. 

I. The Gallican Liturgy. Very early, probably in Apos- 

* Kahnis, The Mediaeval Church, p. 153. 



I04 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

tolic times, missionaries had gone from Ephesus and had 
planted Christianity in Lyons, which for a long time was the 
centre of the Gallican Church. Correspondence with the 
mother church of Ephesus was kept up for generations, and 
of course the worship was modeled after that of Ephesus. 
Hence it is Johannean or Pauline as distinguished from 
Petrine. But the Gallican Liturgy, like all other rituals of 
the ancient Church, received many additions from time to 
time. It is impossible to tell what the form of worship was 
in Gaul in the second and third centuries. It must have 
been very simple, as was Christian worship generally at that 
time. Musseus, Sidonius and Hilary (f 368) made various 
additions to it, and the latter brought it pretty much into its 
final form. It was also much influenced by the Roman Lit- 
urgy, and was finally suppressed by Charlemagne about the 
beginning of the ninth century by an edict that all priests 
should celebrate Mass according to the Roman rite. It had 
been supposed that no copies of the ancient Gallican Liturgy 
were in existence, until the discovery of three MSS. which 
were published by Cardinal Thomasius at Rome in 1680. 
These had belonged to the monastery of Fleury, and had 
found their way to the Vatican in 1563. In 1685 they were 
re-edited by Mabillon, together with a Gallican lectionary 
which had been discovered by him in the monastery of 
Luxien. But one of the most important liturgical discover- 
ies of modern times was that of Francis Joseph Mone, 
librarian at Carlsruhe. It consists of fragments of eleven 
Gallican Mass- formularies from a codex rescriptus of the 
former cloister of Reichenau. These are older than those 
previously known. Mone edited these fragments with a 
learned commentary under the title : Lafeinische und Grie- 
chische Messen aus dem zzveiten bis sechsfen Jahrhundert; 
Frankfort am Main, 1850. Mone's conclusions in regard to 
the age of these MSS. have been much disputed, though they 
are undoubtedly very old. 

The Gallican Liturgy is of great historical value. It is the 
basis of the Mozarabic or Spanish Liturgy, and of those of 



WORSHIP IN THK WESTERN CHURCH. 105 

Germany and England in the earlier and Middle Ages. 
Germany received Christianity mainly from France, hence 
also its form of worship with local adaptations, which was 
the rule of liturgical construction in the early ages. The 
Bamberg, Mainz and other German missals bear marks of 
Gallican influence. In very early Christian times there was 
close intimacy between the Christians of France and those of 
England. When Augustine came to England (596) he 
found a Christian service very different from that of Rome. 
This he revised, not directly from the Gregorian rite, but 
" from a sister rite formed in the south of France by the 
joint action probably of St. Leo and Cassian about two hun- 
dred years before (420), having a common basis indeed 
with the Roman office, but strongly tinctured with Gallican 
characteristics derived long ago from the East, and prob- 
ably enriched at the time by fresh importations of oriental 
usages." * 

This old English rite was revised after the Norman Con- 
quest by Bishop Osmund (1085), and became the Sarum or 
Salisbury Use, which in turn became the basis of the present 
English Book of Common Prayer. It is in this way that the 
English deliglit to trace their liturgy to St. John or St. Paul. 
But it is only in the simple elements of Christian worship 
that its advocates and admirers can find for it so important 
and authoritative an origin. 

The Gallican liturgy is thus described by Palmer : " Ger- 
manus informs us that the liturgy began with an anthem, 
followed by Gloria Patri, after which the deacon proclaimed 
silence; and a mutual salutation having passed between the 
priest and the people, the hymn Trisagios, in imitation of 
the Greek rite, was sung and was followed by Kyrie Eleison, 
and the song of Zacharias the prophet, beginning Bene- 
dictus, after which the priest read a collect entitled Post 
prophetiam, in the Gallican missals. The office so far, 
though ancient, cannot be traced to the most primitive ages 
of the Gallican Church, as doubtless the liturgy originally 

* Freeman's Principles of Divine Service, II., p. 404. 



Io6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

began with the lessons from Holy Scripture, which I now 
proceed to consider. 

A lesson from the prophets or Old Testament was first 
read, then one from the Epistles, which was succeeded by 
the hymn of the three children, Benedicite, and the Holy 
Gospel. In later times the book of the Gospels was carried 
in procession to the pulpit by the deacon, who was accom- 
panied by seven men bearing lighted tapers, and the choir 
sang anthems before and after the Gospel. After the Gos- 
pel was ended, the priest or bishop preached, and the deacon 
made prayers for the people (probably in imitation of the 
Greek liturgies, where a litany of the kind occurs after the 
Gospel), and the priest recited a collect Post precem. 

Then the deacon proclaimed to the catechumens to de- 
part, but whether any previous prayers were made for them 
seems doubtful. Germanus speaks of its being an ancient 
custom of the Church to pray for catechumens in this place, 
but his words do not absolutely prove that there were par- 
ticular prayers for them in the Galilean Church, and no 
other author refers to the custom, as far as I am aware. 
The catechumens, and those under penitent discipline, hav- 
ing been dismissed, silence was again enjoined, and an ad- 
dress 'to the people on the subject of the day, and entitled 
PrcBfatio^ was recited by the priest, who then repeated 
another prayer. 

The oblations of the people were next received, while the 
choir sang an offertory anthem, termed Sonum by Ger- 
manus. The elements were placed on the holy table and 
covered with a large and close veil or pall, and in later times 
the priest here invoked the blessing of God on the gifts. 

Then the tablets called diptychs, containing the names of 
the living and departed saints, were recited, and the priest 
made a collect ' post nomina.' Then followed the salutation 
and kiss of peace, after which the priest read the collect, ' ad 
pacem.' The mystical liturgy now commenced, correspond- 
ing to the Eastern ' prosphora ' or ' anaphora,' and the Ro- 
man preface and canon. It began with the form ' Sursum 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. 107 

Corda,' etc., and then followed the preface or thanksgiving, 
called ' contestatio ' or ' immolatio,' in which God's benefits 
to the human race were variously commemorated; and at 
the proper place the people all joined in singing the hymn 
Tersanctiis. 

The thanksgiving then continued in the form called ' post 
sanctus,'* which terminated with the commemoration of our 
Saviour's deed and words at the institution of this Sacra- 
ment. Afterwards the priest recited a collect entitled ' post 
mysterium,' or ' post secreta,' probably because the above 
•commemoration was not committed to writing on account of 
its being esteemed of great efficacy in the consecration. The 
collect, ' post mysterium,' often contained a verbal oblation 
of the bread and wine, and an invocation of God to send his 
Holy Spirit to sanctify them into the sacrament of Christ's 
body and blood. After this the bread was broken, and the 
Lord's Prayer repeated by the priest and people, being in- 
troduced and concluded with appropriate prayers made by 
the priest alone. 

The priest or bishop then blessed the people, to which 
they answered Amen. Communion afterwards took place, 
during which a psalm or anthem was sung. The priest re- 
peated a collect of thanksgiving, and the service termin- 
ated." * 

2. The Momrahic Liturgy. 

This rite, by virtue of a foundation of Cardinal Ximenes, 
is still used in Corpus Christi chapel, adjoined to the metro- 
politan church in Toledo, f Some learned writers have 
maintained that the Mozarabic is coeval with the introduc- 
tion of Christianity into Spain. But more recent and more 
thorough investigation shows that it was originally pat- 
terned after the Gallican Liturgy. Neale says : '' The Mo- 
zarabic is simply an order of the two great classes of West- 
ern liturgies. If exhibited in a tabular form they would 
stand thus : 

* Orig. Liturg., I., p. 158. 

t It is also used at one or two other places. 



io8 



CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 



Spanish 

or 

Mozarabic 

or 

Gothic. 



Gallican, 

I 



Gallican 
proper. 



Gallican (Ephesine). 

I 



.Ambrosian, 



I 
Frank. 



African, 



The names, however, of these are extremely ill-contrived ;. 
the great generic term Gallican, as opposed to Roman, and 
signifying that form of liturgy which was apparently de- 
rived from Asia Minor, (and so from St. John,) and which 
received its earliest development from the Church of Lyons. 
— this term, w^e say, is exceedingly inapplicable, and yet 
none other is proposed in its stead. So again the title of 
Gothic, as applied to the Spanish Mass, which is not in any 
sense Gothic, is absurd, while the name of Mozarabic, given 
to an office which was used long before the Arabic invasion,, 
is not less contrary to common sense. Mone proposes the 
name of Celtic, which would at all events be an improvement 
on the other titles."* 

It is possible that the Goths may have made sundry small 
additions to the Spanish service, and it is thought that St. 
Leander of Seville, who had been on a mission to Constanti^ 
nople, introduced some of the orientalisms still to be found 
in it. But it was so much improved and developed by St. 
Isidore (603-633) of Seville that it was spoken of after- 
wards as *' secundum regulam Beati Isidori." Additions- 
were made by John of Saragossa, Sts. Conantius, Eugenius 
and Ildefonso. And thus the rite came down to the Mahom- 
etan invasion. It then assumed the name of the Mozarabic 
Liturgy. As to the origin of the name Neale says : " The 
derivation is simple enough : Arab Arabe signifying an Arab 
by descent (like a Hebrew of the Hebrews). Arab Mast 
Arabe, an Arab by adoption, and the latter term gradually 



* Liturgiology, pp. 129, 130. 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. 109 

liaving been softened into Mozarabic and applied to the 
Liturgy."* 

Through the influence of Pope Gregory VII., Alphonso 
VI., King of Castile and Leon, undertook to suppress the 
Mozarabic Liturgy in favor of that of the Roman Church. 
The effort was not entirely successful, as the use of the 
national rite still lingered in some congregations scattered 
among the invaders. When the Moors were finally con- 
quered by Ferdinand towards the close of the fifteenth cen- 
tury, Cardinal Ximenes restored the liturgy in the one chapel 
at Toledo, as already said, and at the same time had the 
Missal carefully edited and published in 1500. 

English writers think that the Mozarabic Liturgy had 
some influence in shaping the Prayer Book of Edward VI., 
1549. They support their opinion with the following facts; 
The connection between England and Spain was very inti- 
mate during the first third of the sixteenth century, because 
■of the marriage of Henry VIII. to Catherine of Aragon. 
Since she was the daughter of Isabella, to whom Ximenes 
was confessor, it is regarded as extremely probable that the 
knowledge of the Mozarabic Liturgy was brought to Eng- 
land by the queen's chaplains. Wolsey succeeded to a large 
part of the revenues of Cardinal Ximenes, and could hardly 
have failed to become acquainted with the rites celebrated at 
Toledo. The Spaniards settled in large numbers in London 
during the reign of Henry VIII. (See Burbidge: Liturgies 
and Offices of the Church, p. 176.) 

II. THE AMBROSIAN CLASS. 

The Ambrosian Liturgy also is regarded as Ephesine in 
origin, but was much more influenced by the Roman use 
than either the Gallican or the Mozarabic. It is attributed 
to St. Ambrose (t397), the renowned Bishop of Milan, 
who introduced the responsive reading of Psalms, and com- 
posed several prayers and prefaces for the worship of his 
diocese. Simplicius, his successor, is said to have intro- 
* Liturgiology, p. 131. 



no CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

duced several additions. It also received additions during^ 
the rule of the Goths (493-568) and the Lombards (568- 
737), and thus gradually assumed the character in which we 
now find it. The Missale Amhrosianum was published at 
Milan in 1768, and again in 1850. Neale regards it as im- 
measurably inferior in every way to the Mozarabic rite. 
Schaff says : " The Ambrosian Liturgy is still used in the 
diocese of Milan; and after sundry vain attempts to substi- 
tute the Roman, it was confirmed by Alexander VL in 1497, 
by a special bull, as the Ritus Ainhrosianiis. Excepting some 
Oriental peculiarities, it coincides substantially with the 
Roman Liturgy, but has neither the pregnant brevity of the 
Roman, nor the richness and fullness of the Mozarabic. 
The prayers for the oblation of the sacrificial gifts differ 
from the Roman; the Apostles' Creed is not recited until 
after the oblation; some saints of the diocese are received 
into the canonical lists of the saints; the distribution of the 
host takes place before the Pater-noster, with formulas of 
its own, etc. The liturgy which was used for a long time 
in the patriarchate of Aquileia is allied to the Ambrosian, 
and likewise stands mid-way between the Roman and the 
Oriental Gallican Liturgies." * 

Daniel (Codex Liturgicus, Vol. I.) gives the full Latin 
texts of the Roman, the Ambrosian, the Gallican and the 
Mozarabic Liturgies, and Neale (Liturgiology, p. 88) pre- 
sents the same in outline as follows: 

ROMAN. AMBROSIAN. MOZARABIC. GALLICAN. 

Introitus Ingressa Ad Missam. . . Antiphona. 

Collect Oratio super populum.Oratio Prefatio. 

Sometimes prophecy. Prophecy Prophecy Prophecy. 

Psalmellus Psallendo Psahnus Respon- 

sorius. 

Epistle Epistle Epistle Epistle. 

Gradual {sometimes 

Sequence) Alleluia or Cantus. 

Gospel Gospel Gospel Gospel. 

Antiphona post Evan- 

gelium. 
Oratio super Sindonem. 
Offertory. 

* Hist. Christ. Church, III., p. 534. 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. Ill 

ROMAN. AMBROSIAN. MOZARABIC. GALLICAN. 

Nicene Creed Nicene Creed, 

Oifertory Oratio super Oblato. Sacrificium. 

Missa. 
Alia Oratio. 

Ante Nomina. 

Secreta Post Nomina. Post Nomina. 

Ad Pacem. 

Prefatio Prefatio Illatio Contestatio. 

Post Sanctus.Post Mysterium. 
Post Pridie. 

Commtmio Contractorium. Ante Orationem Do- 

minicam, 

Transitorium Ad orationem 

Dorninicam. 

Post Communio Post Communio Post Orationem Do- 

minicam. 
Benediction... Benediction. 
Prayer Prayer. 



III. THE PETRINE CLASS. 

" The Roman Liturgy is ascribed by tradition, in its main 
features, to the Apostle Peter, but cannot be historically 
traced beyond the middle of the fifth century. It has with- 
out doubt slowly grown to its present form. The oldest 
written records of it appear in three sacramentaries, which 
bear the names of three popes, Leo, Gelasius, and Greg- 
ory."* 

I. The Sacramentariwn Leoniniim. 

There is no conclusive evidence that Pope Leo (440-461) 
composed a sacramentary. A collection of liturgical for- 
mulae at Verona has been attributed to him. This codex 
called Sacramentarium Veronense belongs to the seventh or 
eighth century. It is defective both at the beginning and 
close. Only conjecturally has the name of Leo been at- 
tached to it. (Daniel, Codex, Lit., I., p. 7.) Some prefer to 
ascribe it to Gelasius. Others think that it was not the work 
of any one pontiff, but the work of several, as Sixtus III., 
Leo III., and Felix III. Muratori is of the opinion that near 
the close of the fifth century some one reduced to form cer- 
tain prayers and prefaces composed b)^ Leo. This is about 
-^ Schaff, Hist. Church, III, p. 534. 



112 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

all we know of the so-called sacramentary of Leo. The 
Verona Codex was edited by Joseph Bianchini in 1735. (See 
Daniel, Cod. Lit., L, pp. 7, 8.) 

2. The Sacramentarium Gelasianum. 

Towards the close of the fifth century the then existing 
Roman Sacramentary was revised and abridged by Pope 
Gelasius (492-496). In it first appears the Canon. It was 
widely used in Western Europe, and was not wholly sup- 
planted by the Gregorian Sacramentary until after the be- 
ginning of the ninth century. It was first printed at Rome 
in 1680. Its full text is given by Daniel (Codex Lit., Vol. 
I.) parallel with that of the Gregorian, from which it does 
not differ in any important respect, except that it omits 
everything that precedes the Preface with its introductory 
Salutation, Sursum Corda and Gratias Agamus. 

J. The Sacr anient arhtm Gregorianum. 

This is the Gelasian Sacramentary revised by Pope Greg- 
ory the Great (590-604), who collected various anthems and 
shortened the prefaces and composed many collects, which 
are still used in the services of the Church. He describes 
the Canon as already old, and as having been composed by 
a certain Scholasticus, which may be a proper name, or may 
be used generically for one of a certain class. The oldest 
manuscript of the Gregorian Sacramentary is the Vatican, 
and is assigned to the ninth century. It has been edited by 
Muratori and others. (See Daniel, Codex Lit., I., pp. 8, 9.) 
Burbidge says : " There is some doubt also respecting the 
original of even the Gregorian Sacramentary, for, whilst 
there are several MSS. in existence, the oldest belong to the 
ninth century, and in the course of two centuries since the 
age of its author, many additions had been introduced which 
caused considerable variation in the different copies. These 
variations increased as the centuries passed, until the whole 
of the varying Missals of the west of Europe were elab- 
orated out of the Gregorian Service Book, with the exception 



WORSHIP IN THE WESTERN CHURCH. II3 

of the Ambrosian Missal of Milan, which belongs to a great 
extent to another date, and has been only slightly modified 
by the Gregorian and the Mozarabic Missal of Spain, which 
in the main is contemporary with the Gregorian, but wholly 
independent of it." * 

This Gregorian Service Book is properly regarded as the 
father of the Ordo et Canon Missae, which was sanctioned 
by the Council of Trent and rendered obligatory upon all 
churches which could not show an uninterrupted use of their 
own national rites for a period of two hundred years. 

The Gregorian Mass according to the Vatican codex is in 
outline as follows : 

Introit according to the festivals or the days; the Kyrie 
Eleison; the Gloria in Excelsis, if a bishop be present, on 
Sundays or festivals. If the Litany be used, neither the 
Gloria in Excelsis nor the Alleluia is sung. The prayer, the 
Creed, Gradual or Alleluia, the Gospel, the Offertory, the 
Salutation, Sursum Corda, Gratias Agamus, the Preface : It 
is meet and right, etc., closing with the Sanctus. The Canon, 
commemoration of the living, commemoration of the de- 
parted, with commemoration of the oblation, prayer for the 
departed faithful, pra3^er for fellowship with the departed. 
Episcopal benediction, communion, post-communion col- 
lects. Peace of the Lord be with you alway, and with thy 
spirit. All of which should be compared with the full text 
of the Roman Missal in the following chapter. 

* Liturgies and Offices of the Church, p. 66. 



CHAPTER V. 

WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

As already stated, the Gregorian Sacramentary furnished 
the principal material of the Roman Catholic Missals or 
Mass Books of the Middle Ages. In England, France and 
Germany the Missals bore important Gallican features, and 
differed more or less from that of Rome, but not in anything 
that was essential, and the same principles of worship then 
as now pervaded the entire Roman Catholic Church. The 
decree of uniformity issued by the Council of Trent was not 
executed immediately, but has now become universal in its 
effect, so that it may truthfully be said : " If the palm must 
be allowed to the Greek Church of having remained faithful 
especially to the liturgical regulations of Basil, and partic- 
ularly to those of John Chrysostom, so can the Roman Cath- 
olic Church refer the age of her Mass with definiteness to 
Gregory the Great, and since his Missal was essentially only 
an abridgment of an older service, even to a still earlier 
period. Moreover, not only at all times, and in all places, 
has she retained the same order of divine service, and the 
same ritual, but also one and the same language. While the 
Greek Church has allowed to different peoples the national 
language for divine worship, the Roman Catholic Church 
presents in her cultus an instance which in fact is absolutely 
solitary and without parallel. The Catholic Christian may 
stand in the great Cathedral of Paris, or in a poor village 
church in Poland, or in the splendid Lateran church at Rome, 
or on a far-off island in the South Sea in a prayer house 
built by the missionaries — everywhere he finds the divine 
service to which he was accustomed from childhood. Even 
though he understand not one word of the language of the 

("4) 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. II 5 

people among whom he sojourns, yet in the Mass he recog- 
nizes everywhere the same solemn organ-tone of the Latin 
language as in his native land. And should the dead arise 
from their graves who died hundreds of years ago, they 
would find it difficult to reconcile themselves to the present 
conditions of domestic and public life; but in the Church 
they would still find all as they had left it, and would really 
think it was only a marvelous dream which they had 
dreamed." * 

The Roman Catholic Church agrees with the Greek 
Church in regarding the Lord's Supper as the most essen- 
tial and most important part of the Sunday divine service; 
but she differs from the Greek Church in that she has abol- 
ished the distinction between the Missa Catechumenorum 
and the Missa Fidelium, and closes the service for all with 
the dismission form, Ite^ missa est. 

The fundamental principle in the Roman Catholic worship 
lies in the fact that the Mass, that is, the Lord's Supper, is 
regarded as a sacrifice in which the Church through her 
priesthood presents an offering to God, the Church herself 
thus taking the place of mediator between God and man. 
In this way the Roman Catholic worship becomes a work, a 
service and sacrifice rendered to God for atonement and 
reconciliation. The Council of Trent declared in its Twenty- 
second Session, Chapter IL, ''And forasmuch as in this 
divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, that same 
Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner 
who once offered himself in a bloody manner on the altar of 
the cross, the Holy Synod teaches that this sacrifice is pro^ 
pitiatory, and that by means thereof this is effected, that 
we obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid ; " and in 
the first Canon of the same session an anathema is pro- 
nounced against any one who shall say '' that in the Mass a. 
true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God; or, that to> 
be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given us to eat ; "' 
and that the Holy Synod might guard against being mis- 
*Alt, Der Christl. Cultus, p. 220. 



Il6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

understood, in the third Canon of the same session she pro- 
nounced another anathema against any one who " saith that 
the sacrifice of the Mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of 
thanksgiving; or, that it is a bare commemoration of the 
sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory 
sacrifice, or that it ought not to be offered for the Hving and 
the dead for sins, pain, satisfaction and other necessities." 
In the Thirteenth Session, fifth chapter, it is taught : " There 
is no room left for doubt that all the faithful of Christ may, 
according to the custom ever received in the Catholic 
Church, render in veneration the worship of latria, which is 
due the true God, to this most holy sacrament." 

From these official declarations two things are evident: 
(a) In the Roman Catholic worship the primary and chief 
idea is that God is to be propitiated by the sacrifice, (b) 
The highest act of worship is to be rendered to the sacra- 
ment itself. It is neither declared nor implied that God and 
Christ come to the worshiper with their grace and gifts 
through or by means of the Word and sacrament. 

From this it results logically that the Church has no need 
of the divine Word, or of the preaching of the divine Word 
in the chief service; but since the sacrament, which is an 
offering, must be presented to God, she must increase the 
volume of her own words in the service. That is, she must 
multiply the ceremonies of worship. Hence the fullness and 
elaborateness of the Mass Ritual, in prayers, symbols and 
vestments, and the very small place occupied by the preach- 
ing of the Word, which has no necessary place in the 
Roman Mass. Even the reading of the divine Word in the 
Epistle and Gospel lessons, is left almost without effect by 
rea'son of the Latin language, which so small a portion of 
the worshipers understand. Under all circumstances the 
sacrifice, the offering of the body and blood of Christ, re- 
mains the centre of the divine service, and all parts of the 
order of worship point directly to that centre. But if the 
Mass is a sacrifice, a presentation of the body and blood of 
Christ to God by the hands of the priest, then no place is left 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. II 7 

at which Christ can present the fruit of his suffering and 
death, at which the Church or her individual members can 
partake of the same. Thus the Church and her members are 
not in the attitude of partakers, or learners from her Lord. 
The Church is already complete, and out of her perfect full- 
ness she has only to sacrifice and to offer her prayer and 
praise and thanksgiving through the priest. That is, her 
worship, in the chief service, is completely one-sided. It has 
only the human element. It gives everything. It receives 
nothing, except in so far as the objectivity of the sacrament 
assures the recipient that his sins are pardoned. But as 
worship is rendered by the Church in her collective capacity, 
every individual member of the Church has an interest in 
the worship by virtue of membership with the Church 
through baptism. The Church is one. What she does, I do. 
If she offers a sacrifice, I offer a sacrifice. What she suffers, 
I suffer. If she is reconciled to God by the Mass, I, if I 
assent to her work, am also reconciled to God by the Mass 
which she says. 

There is no need of subjective faith, for there is nothing 
to receive, nothing to appropriate. Christ is not offered to 
the worshiper as in a sacrament. He is offered by the wor- 
shiper through the Church to God as a sacrifice. The benefit 
results by virtue of the work that has been done. Yea, there 
is not even any need of the presence of an appropriating 
member or of an appropriating congregation. It is sufficient 
that the priest alone appropriate the body and blood of 
Christ. The absent and deceased members of the Church 
have the benefit, because the Church, which is composed of 
all non-excommunicated baptized persons, whether living or 
dead, acts for all. Hence the great number of private 
Masses for both the living and the dead. But a Church, 
thus constituted and thus acting, can render its worship only 
through representative individuals who gather into their 
own official acts the acts of- all ; hence the priesthood or a 
class of individuals who represent the Church and her mem- 



Il8 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

bers before God. From the foregoing principles it results 
logically, and the facts support the logic, 

1 . That the priest prays, reads, consecrates and makes the 
sacrifice while the congregation looks on idly or worships in 
silence; and all this the priest does for and instead of the 
congregation in an unknown tongue. It is the collective 
work which he does to God. The value of the work lies in 
the performance, in the fact that a sacrifice has been offered. 
But then, the more frequently the work is done the greater 
the aggregate of merit. Hence the number of Masses is 
multiplied, and Masses are said in almost every emergency, 
and for almost every condition of human need. The priest 
by his work makes reconciliation before God for the congre- 
gation, for the absent, for the deceased. The Lord's Supper 
is not a communion by which the congregation is united 
with her Lord, and her members with each other in living 
fellowship. 

2. That casting the Word and the preaching of the Word 
into the background, and making a sacrifice, the Roman 
Catholic Church can receive no fresh additions to her wor- 
ship, nor can she adapt the form of her worship to changed 
conditions, but must retain everything in a fixed form, and 
must come into a mechanism of practice, the fundamental 
principle of which is that the offerer is justified because the 
sacrifice has been offered. 

Hence the Canon of the Mass, that is, the fixed rule ac- 
cording to which Mass is said, and the valuation placed upon 
ceremonies as offices of piety. The Council of Trent de- 
creed : " The Catholic Church instituted many years ago 
the Sacred Canon, so pure from every error, that nothing is 
contained therein which does not in the highest degree savor 
of a certain holiness and piety, and raise up unto God the 
minds of those that offer." (Twenty-second Session.) And 
in the sixth and seventh canons of the same session, it is 
declared: "If any one saith that the Canon, of the Mass 
contains errors and is therefore to be abrogated : let him be 
anathema." " If any one saith that the ceremonies, vest- 



WORSHIP IN THK ROMAN CATHOUC CHURCH. II 9 

ments, and outward signs, which the CathoHc Church makes 
use of in the celebration of Masses, are incentives to impiety, 
rather than offices of piety: let him be anathema." 

3. That failing of the grace and gifts of God, through 
Word and sacrament, the Roman Catholic Church must 
more and more present her own works. Hence her multi- 
plied saints' days which encroach on the Lord's day, and her 
legends which she substitutes in the place of the Word of 
God. Hence also the prayers which she offers to her saints, 
that is, to herself. The Council of Trent decreed in its 
Twenty-fifth Session that all bishops and pastors should 
teach, " that the saints who reign together with Christ, offer 
up their prayers to God for men; that it is good and useful 
suppliantly to invoke them and to have recourse to their 
prayers, [and] help for obtaining benefits from God, 
through the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is our alone 
Redeemer and Saviour; but that they think impiously who 
deny that saints, who enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, are 
to be invocated ; or who assert either that they do not pray 
for men; or that the invocation of them to pray for each of- 
us, even in particular, is idolatry ; or that it is repugnant to 
the Word of God, and is opposed to the honor of the one 
Mediator of God and man, Christ Jesus; or that it is foolish 
to supplicate, vocally or mentally, those who reign in 
heaven." 

Thus the worship of the Roman Catholic Church is repre- 
sentant, traditional, stationary, and may be summarized as 
follows : 

It reduces the preaching of the Word in the chief divine 
service to a minimum; it makes the sacrifice of the Mass 
the centre of worship; it commits the acts of worship en- 
tirely to the priest, who performs the service for and instead 
of the congregation; it places the Church in the attitude of 
a giver, and not of a receiver. As a result, the worship of 
the Roman Catholic Church cannot edify, nor does it ethi- 
cally affect the worshiper, except in so far as the offering of 
a sacrifice, by its reactionary effect and by its very object- 



I20 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ivity, tends to impress religious sentiments upon the wor- 
shiper, and to inspire religious affections. 

THE MISSAL. 

The Roman Catholic Missal, or Mass Book, or Order for 
celebrating '' the most holy sacrament of the eucharist," is 
taken verbatim by permission from the " Missal for the 
Laity," published by D. and J. Sadlier & Co., 33 Barclay 
St., New York. The translation purports to have been made 
from the latest edition of the Roman Missal. It bears the 
Imprimatur of John, Cardinal Archbishop of New York, 
and the Re-Imprimatur of Michael Augustine, Archbishop 
of New York. 

ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 

[N. B. At Low Mass, the parts within the brackets are 
to be passed over.] 

The Priest, standing at the foot of the altar, and bowing 
down before it, signs himself zvith the sign of the Cross 
from the forehead to the breast, and says with a distinct 
voice: * 

In the name of the Father, * and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. iVmen. 

Then, joining his hands before his breast, he begins the 
Antiphon: 

I will go unto the altar of God. 

R. To God, who giveth joy to my youth. 

In Masses for the Dead, and from Passion Sunday till 
Holy Saturday exckisively, the follozving Psalm is omitted: 

P. Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the 
nation that is not holy : deliver me from the unjust and 
deceitful man. 

R. For thou, O God, art my strength : why hast thou cast 

*At the beginning of High Mass, when the Priest commences at the 
foot of the altar, the choir sing the Kyrie eleison, etc. (and sometimes 
the Introit), which usually lasts until the Gloria in excelsis. Those 
parts of the Service which are sung by the choir, except responses, are 
also said in a low voice by the Priest. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 121 

me off? and why do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflict- 
eth me? 

P. Send forth thy light and thy truth: they have con- 
ducted me and brought me unto thy holy mount, and into 
thy tabernacles. 

R. And I will go unto the altar of God: to God, who 
giveth joy to my youth. 

P. I will praise thee on the harp, O God, my God: why 
are thou sorrowful, O my soul ? and why dost thou disquiet 
me? 

R. Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: who 
is the salvation of my countenance, and my God. 

P. Glory be to the Father, etc. 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

V. I will go unto the altar of God. 

R. To God, who giveth joy to my youth. 

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. 

R. Who hath made heaven and earth. 

Then, joining his hands and hwnbly bozving down, he says 
the Confession. 

P. I confess to almighty God, etc. 

R. May almighty God have mercy upon thee, forgive 
thee thy sins, and bring thee to life everlasting. 

P. Amen. 

R. I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Vir- 
gin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John Bap- 
tist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, 
and to you, father, that I have sinned exceedingly in 
thought, word, and deed [here strike the breast thrice], 
through my fault, through my fault, through my most 
grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Vir- 
gin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John Baptist, 
the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, and 
you, father, to pray to the Lord our God for me. 

Then the Priest, zvith his hands jointed, gives the Absolu- 
tion, saying: 



T22 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

P. May almighty God have mercy upon you, forgive you 
your sins, and bring you to life everlasting. 

R. Amen. 

Signing himself with the sign of the Cross, he says: 

P. * May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us par- 
don, absolution, and remission of our sins. 

R. Amen. 

Then, bowing doivn, he proceeds: 

V. Thou wilt turn again, O God, and quicken us. 

R. And thy people shall rejoice in thee. 

V. Show us, O Lord, thy mercy. 

R. And grant us thy salvation. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come unto thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

First extending and then joining his hands, he says audi- 
bly Oremus ; and then ascending to the altar, he says secretly: 

Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech thee, O 
Lord : that we may be worthy to enter with pure minds into 
the Holy of holies. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Bozving dozvn over the altar, he says: 

We beseech thee, O Lord, by the merits of thy saints 
whose relics are here, and of all the saints, that thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins. Amen. 

[Receiving the thurible from the Deacon, he incenses the 
altar, and returns the thurible to the Deacon, zvho incenses 
the Priest only.] Then the Priest, signing himself with the 
sign of the Cross, reads the Introit, which see in its place at 
the proper day, or else read one of the follozving: 

Blessed be the Holy and Undivided Unity: we will give 
praise to. him, because he hath shown his mercy to us. 

O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is thy name in all the 
earth ! 

Glory be to the Father, who hath created us. 

Glory be to the Son, who hath redeemed us. 

Glory be to the Holy Ghost, who hath sanctified us. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 1 23 

Glory be to the Holy and Undivided Trinity, one God, 
for ever and ever. Amen. 

Or: 

{For a Saint's Day.) The just shall flourish like the 
palm-tree; he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus; 
planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house 
of our God. 

It is good to give praise to the Lord; and to sing to thy 
name, O Most High. 

The Kyrie eleison is then said. 

S. Kyrie eleison. M. Kyrie eleison. 5". Kyrie eleison. 
Lord, have mercy upon us. 

M. Christe eleison. S. Christe eleison. M. Christe 
•eleison. Christ, have mercy upon us. 

S. Kyrie eleison. M. Kyrie eleison. 6". Kyrie eleison. 
Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Afterwards, standing at the middle of the altar, extending 
>and then joining his hands, and slightly bowing, he says, 
{when it is to he said *) the Gloria in excelsis. When he 
^ays the zvords. We adore thee. We give thee thanks, Jesus 
Christ, and Receive our prayer, he bozvs, and at the end he 
signs himself zvith the sign of the Cross. 

Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to men of 
good will. We praise thee. We bless thee. We adore 
thee. We glorify thee. We give thee thanks for thy great 
glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father 
almighty. O Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son: O 
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takest 
away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Thou 
who takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayers : 
thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy 
on us. For thou only art holy : thou only art the Lord : thou 
only, O Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in 
the glory of God the Father. Amen. 

* The Gloria is omitted during Lent and Advent, and in Masses for 
the Dead. At High Mass the choir sing the Gloria (after the words 
■"Gloria in excelsis Deo," which are intoned by the Priest), and the 



124 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

The Priest kisses the altar, and, turning to the people, 
says: 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Then follow the Collects, at the end of the first and last of 
ivhich the Acolyte answers Amen. 

See the proper Collect, etc., of the day, in its proper place, 
or say: 

Defend us, O Lord, we beseech thee, from all dangers of 
soul and body; and by the intercession of the glorious and 
blessed Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, blessed Joseph^ 
the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, the blessed N. and all 
thy Saints, grant us-, in thy mercy, health and peace; that 
all adversities and errors being done away, thy Church may 
serve thee with a pure and undisturbed devotion. Through, 
etc. 

O almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the 
whole body of the Church is sanctified and governed : hear 
our humble supplications for all degrees and orders thereof, 
that, by the assistance of thy grace, they may faithfully serve 
thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son ; who liveth 
and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, 
one God, world without, end. Amen. 

Then the Epistle for the day is read, which may be found 
in its proper place; or the following may be read instead: 

Rejoice in the Lord always : and again I say, rejoice. Let 
your modesty be known to all men: the Lord is nigh. Be 
not solicitous about any thing ; but in every thing, by prayer 
and supplication with thanksgiving, let your petitions be 
made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth 
all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ 
Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, 
whatsoever things are modest, whatsoever things are just, 
whatsoever things are holy, whatsoever things are amiable, 
whatsoever things are in good repute, if there be any virtue,, 

officiating Clergy wait until its conclusion, after which the Celebrant 
proceeds with the Collects. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 1 25 

if there be any praise of discipline, think on these things. 
The things which you have both learned, and received, and 
heard, and seen in me, these do ye : and the peace of God 
shall be with you. 

After which: 

Thanks be to God. 

Then the Gradual, Tract, Alleluia, or Sequence, according 
to the time. 

GRADUAL.* 

Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge 
to save me. In thee, O God, have I hoped ; O Lord, let me 
never be confounded. 

Deal not with us, O Lord, according to our sins which we 
have committed, nor punish us according to our iniquities. 

V. Help us, O God our Saviour ; and for the glory of thy 
name, O Lord, deliver us, and forgive us our sins for thy 
name's sake. 

(At Low Mass, go on to § // the Priest celebrates^ etc.) 

After this, at High Mass, the Deacon places the hook of 
the Gospels on the altar, and the Celebrant blesses the incense 
(as above). Then the Deacon, kneeling before the altar, 
zvith joined hands, says the following prayer. § // the Priest 
celebrates ivithont Deacon and sub-Deacon, the book is car- 
ried to the other side of the altar, and he, bozving down at 
the middle of the altar, zvith his hands joined, says: 

Cleanse my heart and my lips, O almighty God, who didst 
cleanse the lips of the prophet Isaias with a burning coal: 
and vouchsafe, through thy gracious mercy, so to purify me, 
that I may worthily proclaim thy holy Gospel. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Priest, if alone, continues as belozv; if there be a Dea- 
con, he takes the book from the altar, and again kneeling 
dozvn before the Priest, asks his blessing, saying. Sir, give 
me thy blessing. The Priest says: 

* The Choir sing the Gradual, while the book is moved to the Gospel 
side, and the Priest says the prayer (Munda cor meum), "Cleanse my 
heart," etc. 



126 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

The Lord be in thy heart, and on thy Hps, that thou mayest 
worthily and in a becoming manner announce his holy Gos- 
pel : in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and * of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Having received the blessing, he kisses the hand of the 
Priest; and then, zvith incense and lighted candles, he goes- 
to the place where the Gospel is read, and, standing with his 
hands joined, says: 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Then, giving out: 

V, The continuation (or beginning) of the holy Gospel 
according to N. 

He makes the sign of the Cross zvith the thumb of his 
right hand on the Gospel which he is to read, and on his 
forehead, mouth, and breast (the people doing the same) ; 
and zvhile the Minister and people answer: 

R. Glory be to thee, O Lord. 

He incenses the book three times, and then reads the Gos- 
pel, which see at the proper day, or read this: 

GOSPEL. 

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask 
the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he 
may abide with you for ever, the Spirit of truth, whom the 
world cannot receive ; because it seeth him not, nor knoweth 
him: but you shall know him; because he shall abide with 
you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans : I 
will come to you. Yet a little while; and the world seeth 
me no more. But ye see me; because I live, and you shall 
live. In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, 
and you in me, and I in you. He that hath my command- 
ments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he 
that loveth me, shall be loved by my Father: and I will 
love him, and will manifest myself to him. 

Then is said: 

R. Praise be to thee, O Christ. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. \2J 

The sub-Deacon then carries the hook to the Priest. He 
kisses the Gospel, saying: 

By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out. 

The Priest is incensed by the Deacon. 

Here the sermon is usually preached. 

Then, at the middle of the altar, extending, elevating, and 
joining his hands, the Priest says the Nicene Creed {when it 
is to be said), keeping his hands joined. When he says the 
zi'ords, God, Jesus Christ, and is adored, he bows his head to 
the Cross. But at the zvords, and was incarnate, he kneels 
down, and continues kneeling to the words, was made man. 
At the words, the life of the world to come, he signs himself 
with the sign of the Cross from the forehead to the breast. 

I believe in one God, the Father almighty. Maker of 
heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. 

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of 
God, born of the Father before all ages. God of God: 
Light of Light : true God of true God. Begotten not made,, 
consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were 
made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down 
from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the 
Virgin Mary : and was made man. [Here the people kneel 
down.] He was crucified also for us, suffered under Pontius 
Pilate, and was buried. The third day he rose again accord- 
ing to the Scriptures. x\nd ascended into heaven, and sit- 
teth at the right hand of the Father. And he shall come 
again with glory to judge both the living and the dead ; of 
his kingdom there shall be no end. 

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and life-giver, 
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son : who together 
with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified: who 
spake by the prophets. And one holy Catholic and Apos- 
tolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of 
sins. And I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the 
life of the world to come. Amen. 

Then he kisses the altar, and turning to the people, says: 

V. The Lord be with you. 



128 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Then he says the Offertory * (see the day). 

OFFERTORY. 

The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them 
that fear him, and shall deliver them : oh, taste and see that 
the Lord is good. 

I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me; and 
hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me : O Lord, I 
have cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 

This being finished, the Priest takes the paten with the 
Host [if it is High Mass, the Deacon hands the Priest the 
paten with the Host], and offering it up, says: 

Accept, O holy Father, almighty, eternal God, this im- 
maculate Host, which I, thy unworthy servant, offer unto 
thee, my living and true God, for my innumerable sins, of- 
fenses, and negligences, and for all here present, as also for 
all faithful Christians, both living and dead, that it may be 
profitable for my own and for their salvation unto life eter- 
nal. Amen. 

Then making the sign of the Cross with the paten, he^ 
places the Host upon the corporal. The Priest pours wine 
and zvater into the chalice, blessing the water before it is 
mixed, saying: 

O God, * who, in creating human nature, didst wonder- 
fully dignify it, and hast still more wonderfully renewed it : 
grant that, by the mystery of this Water and Wine, we may 
be made partakers of his divinity, who vouchsafed to be- 
come partaker of our humanity, Jesus Christ, thy Son, our 
Lord ; who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of, etc. 

[// it is a High Mass, the Deacon ministers the wine, the 
sub-Deacon the water.] 

In Masses for the Dead, the foregoing prayer is said, but 
the water is not blessed. Then the Priest takes the chalice ^ 
and offers it, saying: 

*The Choir sing the Offertory, or some other appropriate motet or 
hymn. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 1 29 

We offer unto thee, O Lord, the chaHce of salvation, be- 
seeching thy clemency, that in the sight of thy divine 
Majesty, it may ascend with the odor of sweetness, for our 
salvation, and for that of the whole world. Amen. 

Then he makes the sign of the Cross with the chalice, 
places it upon the corporal, and covers it with the pall. Then, 
with his hands joined upon the altar, and slightly bozving 
down, he says: 

[At High Mass, the sub-Deacon here receives the paten, 
which he envelops in the veil with which his shoulders are 
mantled, and then goes and stands behind the Celebrant until 
the conclusion of the Paternoster.] 

In a spirit of humility, and with a contrite heart, let us be 
received by thee, O Lord, and grant that the sacrifice we 
offer in thy sight this day may be pleasing to thee, O Lord 
God. 

The Priest, elevating his eyes towards heaven, and stretch- 
ing out his hands, which he afterwards joins, makes the sign 
of the Cross over the Host and chalice, while he says: 

Come, O sanctifier, almighty, eternal God, and bless + this 
sacrifice, prepared to thy holy name. 

"^At High Mass, he, in the following prayer, blesses the in- 
cense: 

May the Lord, by the intercession of blessed Michael the 
Archangel, standing at the right hand of the Altar of In- 
cense, and of all his elect, vouchsafe to bless this incense, 
and receive it as an odor of sweetness. Through, etc. 
Amen. 

Receiving the thurible from the Deacon, he incenses the 
bread and wine, saying: 

May this incense which thou hast blest, O Lord, ascend to 
thee, and may thy mercy descend upon us. 

Then he incenses the altar, saying, Ps. cxl. 

Let my prayer, O Lord, ascend like incense in thy si_ght : 
and the lifting up of my hands be as an evening sacrifice. 

* At Low Mass, these prayers, down to the Lavaho, I will wash, etc., 
are omitted. 
9 



130 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and a door round 
about my Hps, that my heart may not indine to evil words, 
to make excuses in sins. 

While he gives the censer to the Deacon, he says in a low 
voice these zuords, and is afterzvards incensed by the Deacon, 
and then the others in order: 

May the Lord enkindle in us the fire of his love, and the 
flame of everlasting charity. Amen. 

The Priest, with his hands joined, goes to the Epistle side 
of the altar, zvhere he washes his fingers as he recites the fol- 
lowing verses of Ps. xxv. : 

I will wash my hands among the innocent : and will en- 
compass thy altar, O Lord : 

That I may hear the voice of praise, and tell of all thy 
marvellous works. 

I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house, and the 
place where thy glory dwelleth. 

Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked, nor my 
life with bloody men. 

In whose hands are iniquities : their right hand is filled 
with gifts. 

As for me, I have walked in my innocence: redeem me, 
and have mercy upon me. 

My foot hath stood in the right path: in the churches I 
will bless thee, O Lord. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

[In Masses for the Dead, and in Passion-time, the Gloria 
is omitted.] 

Returning, and bowing before the middle of the altar, 
with joined hands, he says: 

Receive, O holy Trinity, this oblation, which we make to 
thee, in memory of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honor of the blessed Mary 
ever Virgin, of blessed John Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter 
and Paul, of these and of all the Saints : that it may be avail- 
able to their honor and our salvation : and may they vouch- 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 131 

safe to intercede for us in heaven, whose memory we cele- 
brate on earth. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then, he kisses the altar, and having turned himself 
tozvards the people, extending and joining his hands, he 
raises his voice a little, and says: 

Brethren, pray that my sacrifice and yours may be accept- 
able to God the Father almighty. 

R. May the Lord receive the sacrifice from thy hands, to 
the praise and glory of his name, to our benefit, and to that 
of all his holy Church. 

The Priest anszvers in a low voice. Amen. 

Then with stretched-oiU hands he recites the Secret Pray- 
ers, which see at the proper day, or say: 

SECRET. 

Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, and graciously ac- 
cept this oblation which we thy servants make to thee : and 
as we offer it to the honor of thy name, so may it be to us a 
means of obtaining thy grace here, and life everlasting here- 
after. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

For a Sainfs day. 

Sanctify, O Lord, w^e beseech thee, these gifts which we 
offer thee in this solemnity of thy holy servant N. : and so 
strengthen us by thy grace, that both in prosperity and ad- 
versity our ways may be ever directed to thy honor. 
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Which being finished, he says in an audible voice: 

V. World without end. , 

R. Amen. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Here he uplifts his hands. 

V. Lift up your hearts. 

R. We have them lifted up unto the Lord. 

He joins his hands before his breast, and bows his head 
while he says: 

V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. 



132 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

R. It is meet and just. 

He then disjoins his hands, and keeps them in this posture 
until the end of the Preface, after which he again joins them, 
and, bowing, says, Sanctus, etc."^ When he says Benedictus, 
€tc., he crosses himself. 

At the zvord Sanctus, etc., the bell is rung three times by 
the Acolyte. 

PREFACE. 

Preface of Trinity Sunday, and every other Sunday that 
has no proper one.^ 

I. It is truly meet and just, right and salutary, that we 
should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O holy 
Lord, Father almighty. Eternal God. 

II. Who, together with thy only-begotten Son and the 
Holy Ghost, art one God and one Lord, not in a singularity 
of one Person, but in a Trinity of one substance. For that 
which by thy revelation we believe of thy glory, the same 
we believe of thy Son, and the same of the Holy Ghost, 
without any difference or distinction ; that in the confession 
of a true and eternal Deity, distinctness in the Persons, unity 
in the essence, and equality in the Majesty may be adored. 
Whom the angels and archangels, the cherubim also and 
seraphim praise: and cease not daily to cry out with one 
voice, saying: 

III. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. The heavens 
and the earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest! 
Blessed is he that cometh * in the name of the Lord. Ho- 
sanna in the highest. 

CANON OF THE MASS. 

We therefore humbly pray and beseech thee, most merci- 
ful Father, through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord [he 
kisses the altar'] , that thou wouldst vouchsafe to accept and 

* At High Mass, the Choir sing the Sanctus (while the Priest is pro- 
ceeding with the Canon) as far as " Hosanna in excelsis," before the 
elevation ; and after the elevation, " Benedictus qui venit," etc. 

t Other special Prefaces are here omitted. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOI.IC CHURCH.^ 1 33 

bless these * gifts, these + presents, these + holy unspotted 
sacrifices, which, in the first place, we offer thee for thy holy 
Catholic Church, to which vouchsafe to grant peace : as also 
to protect, unite, and govern it throughout the world, to- 
gether with thy servant N. our Pope, N. our Bishop, as also 
all orthodox believers and professors of the Catholic and 
Apostolic Faith. 

COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. 

Be mindful, O Lord, of thy servants, men and women, N. 
and N. 

He joins his hands, and prays silently for those he intends 
to pray for; then, extending his hands, he proceeds: 

And all here present, whose faith and devotion are known 
unto thee : for whom we offer, or who offer up to thee this 
sacrifice of praise for themselves, their families and friends, 
for the redemption of their souls, for the hope of their safety 
and salvation, and who pay their vows to thee, the eternal, 
living, and true God. 

Communicating with, and honoring in the first place the 
memory of the glorious and ever Virgin Mary, Mother of 
our Lord and God Jesus Christ : as also of the blessed Apos- 
tles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, 
Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and 
Thaddeus, Linus, Cletus, Clement, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyp- 
rian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and 
Damian, and of all thy Saints ; by whose merits and prayers, 
grant that we may be always defended by the help of thy 
protection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Spreading his hands over the oblation, he says the zvords- 
of consecration secretly, distinctly, and attentively. 

[Here the hell is rung.] 

We therefore beseech thee, O Lord, graciously to accept 
this oblation of our service, as also of thy whole family ; dis- 
pose our days in thy peace, command us to be delivered 
from eternal damnation, and to be numbered in the flock of 
thy elect. Through Christ our Lord. Amen, 



134 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Which oblation do thou, O God, vouchsafe in all things to 
make blessed, approved, ratified, reasonable, and acceptable, 
that it may become to us the body * and * blood of thy most 
beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Who the day before 
he suffered, took bread [he takes the Host] into his holy 
and venerable hands [he raises his eyes to heaven], and with 
his eyes lifted up towards heaven to God, his Almighty 
Father, giving thanks to thee, did bless, break, and give to 
his disciples, saying: Take, and eat ye all of this. For 

THIS IS MY BODY. 

After pronouncing the zvords of consecration, the Priest, 
kneeling, adores the sacred Host; rising, he elevates it; and 
then placing it on the corporal, again adores it. After this 
he never disjoins his fingers and thumbs, except when it is 
to take the Host, until after the zuashing of his fingers. 

[At the elevation the bell is rung thrice.] 

In like manner, after he had supped [he takes the chalice 
in both his hands], taking also this excellent chalice into his 
holy and venerable hands, and giving thee thanks, he bless- 
* ed, and gave to his disciples, saying : Take, and* drink ye 
all of this; for this is the chalice of my blood of the 

NEW AND ETERNAL TESTAMENT I THE MYSTERY OF FAITH I 
WHICH SHALL BE SHED FOR YOU, AND FOR MANY, TO THE 
REMISSION OF SINS. 

As often as ye do these things, ye shall do them in remem- 
brance of me. 

Kneeling, he adores; rising, he elevates the chalice; then 
replacing it on the corporal, he covers it, and again adores. 

[The bell is rung thrice.] 

He then proceeds: 

Wherefore, O Lord, we thy servants, as also thy holy 
people, calling to mind the blessed passion of the same Christ 
thy Son our Lord, his resurrection from hell, and glorious 
ascension into heaven, offer unto thy most excellent Majesty, 
of thy gifts and grants, a pure * Host, a holy * Host, an 
immaculate 4< Host, the holy ►!* bread of eternal life, and the 
chalice * of everlasting salvation. 



WORSHIP IN THK ROMAN CATHOI.IC CHURCH. 1 35 

Extending his hands, he proceeds: 

Upon which vouchsafe to look with a propitious and se- 
rene countenance, and to accept them, as thou wast gra- 
ciously pleased to accept the gifts of thy just servant Abel, 
and the sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham, and that which 
thy high priest Melchisedec offered to thee, a holy sacrifice, 
an immaculate host. 

Bowing down profoundly, zvith his hands joined and 
placed upon the altar, he says: 

We most humbly beseech thee, almighty God, command 
these things to be carried by the hands of thy holy angel to 
thy altar on high, the sight of thy divine Majesty, that 
as many of us [he kisses tJie altar] as, by participation at 
this altar, shall receive the most sacred Body + and * Blood 
of thy Son, may be filled with all heavenly benediction and 
grace. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Be mindful, O Lord, of thy servants and handmaids N. 
and N., who are gone before us, with the sign of faith, and 
sleep in the sleep of peace. 

He prays for such of the dead as he intends to pray for. 

To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we 
beseech thee, a place of refreshment, light and peace. 
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Here, striking his breast and slightly raising his voice, he 
says: 

And to us sinners, thy servants, hoping in the multitude 
of thy mercies, vouchsafe to grant some part and fellow- 
ship with thy holy Apostles and martyrs; with John, 
Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcel- 
linus, Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, 
Cecily, Anastasia, and with all thy Saints; into whose com- 
pany we beseech thee to admit us, not considering our merit, 
but freely pardoning our offences. Through Christ our 
Lord. 

By whom, O Lord, thou dost always create, sanctify, ►i' 
quicken, 4- bless + and give us all these good things. 

He uncovers the chalice, and makes a genuflection: then 



136 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

taking the Host in his right hand, and holding the chalice in 
his left, he signs the sign of the Cross three times across the 
chalice, saying: 

Through him, * and with him, * and in him, + is to thee, 
God the Father Almighty, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
all honor and glory. 

Replacing the Host and covering the chalice, he kneels 
down; and rising again, he says, or at High Mass chants: 

V. Forever and ever. 

R. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

Instructed by thy saving precepts, and following thy di- 
vine institution, we presume to say: 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: 
thy kingdom come: thy will be done on earth, as it is in 
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us 
our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation. 

R. But deliver us from evil. 

P. Amen. 

[At High Mass, the Deacon, tozvards the conclusion of the 
Paternoster, goes to the right hand of the Priest, where he 
awaits the approach of the siib-Deacon, from whom he 
receives the paten, zvhich he puts into the hands of the 
Priest.'] 

He takes the paten between his first and second fingers, 
and says: 

Deliver us, we beseech thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, 
present and to come : and by the intercession of the blessed 
and glorious Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, together 
with thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and Andrew, and 
. all the Saints [making the sign of the Cross on himself with 
the paten, he kisses it, and says'], mercifully grant peace in 
our days : that by the assistance of thy mercy we may be 
always free from sin, and secure from all disturbance. 

He slides the paten under the Host, uncovers the chalice. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOI.IC CHURCH. 1 37 

and makes a genu flection; then, rising, he takes the Host, 
breaks it in the middle over the chalice, saying: 

Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. 

He puts the part which is in his right hand upon the paten, 
breaks a particle from the other part in his left hand, 
saying: 

Who with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost liveth and 
reigneth God. 

He places the half in his left hand on the paten, and hold- 
ing the particle which he broke off in his right hand, and the 
chalice in his left, he says: 

V. World without end. 

R. Amen. 

He makes the sign of the Cross zvith the particle over the 
chalice, saying: 

V. May the peace + of the Lord be * always with + you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

He puts the particle into the chalice, saying: 

May this mixture and consecration of the Body and Blood 
of our Lord Jesus Christ be to us that receive it effectual to 
eternal life. Amen. 

He covers the chalice, makes a genuflection, and rises; 
then bow'ing down and striking his breast three times, he 
says. * 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy upon us. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy upon us. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 
grant us peace. 

In Masses for the Dead, he says tzvice. Give them rest;- 
and lastly. Give them eternal rest. Standing in an inclined 
position, with his hands joined and resting on the altar, and 
his eyes reverently fixed upon the sacred Host, he says: 

Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst to thy Apostles : Peace I 

* The Choir sing the Agnus Dei. 



138 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

leave with you, my peace I give unto you : regard not my 
sins, but the faith of thy Church : and vouchsafe to it that 
peace and unity which is agreeable to thy will. Who livest 
and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 

[The preceding prayer is omitted in Masses for the Dead.] 

[At High Mass, the Deacon kisses the altar at the same 
time with the celebrating Priest, by whom he is sainted with 
the kiss of peace zvith these zvords:] 

V. Peace be with thee. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Aiid then salntes in like manner the siib-Deaco7i, zvho con- 
veys the kiss of peace to those amongst the clergy who may 
be assisting at Mass. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, according 
to the will of the Father, through the co-operation of the 
Holy Ghost, hast by thy death given life to the world : de- 
liver me by this thy most sacred Body and Blood from all 
my iniquities and from all evils, and make me always adhere 
to thy commandments, and never suffer me to be separated 
from thee : who with the same God the Father and Holy 
Ghost livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 

Let not the participation of thy Body, O Lord Jesus 
Christ, which I, unworthy, presume to receive, turn to my 
judgment and condemnation : but through thy goodness, 
may it be to me a safeguard and remedy, both of soul and 
body. Who with God the Father, in the unit}^ of the Holy 
Ghost, livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 

Making a genuflection, the Priest rises and says: 

I will take the bread of heaven, and call upon the name of 
the Lord. 

Then slightly inclining, he takes both halves of the Host 
between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand, and the 
paten between the same forefinger and the middle one; then 
striking his breast zvith his right hand, and raising his voice 
a little, he says three times devontly and humbly: 

Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my 
roof : say but the word, and my soul shall be healed. 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 1 39 

Then zvith his right hand crossing himself, zvith the Host 
€ver the paten, he says: 

May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul 
to Hfe everlasting. Amen. 

He then reverently receives both halves of the Host, joins 
his hands, and remains a short time in meditation on the 
most holy Sacrament. Then he uncovers the chalice, genu- 
flects, collects whatever fragments may remain on the cor- 
poral, and zvipes the paten over the chalice, saying while so 
doing: 

What shall I render to the Lord for all he hath rendered 
unto me ? I will take the chalice of salvation, and call upon 
the name of the Lord. Praising I will call upon the Lord, 
and I shall be saved from my enemies. 

He takes the chalice in his right hand, and making the sign 
of the Cross zvith it on himself, he says: 

The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul to 
everlasting life. Amen. 

Then he receives all the Blood, together zvith the particle. 
After zvhich' he communicates all who are to communicate 
{if there he any). 

Those zvho are to communicate go up to the Sanctuary at 
the Domine, non sum dignus, when the bell rings; the 
Acolyte spreads a cloth before them, and says the Confiteor. 

Then the Priest turns to the communicants, and pro- 
nounces a general absolution in these zvords: 

IMay almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your 
sins, and bring you to life everlasting. 

R. Amen. 

P. May the almighty and merciful Lord give you pardon, 
absolution, and remission of your sins. 

R. Amen. 

Elevating a particle of the Blessed Sacrament, and turning 
tozvards the people, he says: 

Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away 
the sins of the world. 

And then repeats three times, Domine, non sum dignus. 



140 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Descending the steps of the altar to the communicants, he 
administers the Holy Commnnion, saying to each: 

May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul' 
to life everlasting. Amen. 

Then the Priest holds the chalice for the Acolyte to pour 
into it a little zvine, for the first ablution, and while so doing,, 
says: 

Grant, Lord, that what we have taken with our mouth, we 
may receive with a pure mind : and of a temporal gift may it 
become to us an eternal remedy. 

Then having taken the first ablution, he says: 

May thy Body, O Lord, which I have received, and thy 
Blood which I have drunk, cleave to my bowels : and grant 
that no stain of sin may remain ^n me, who have been re- 
freshed with pure and holy sacraments. Who livest, etc. 
Amen. 

Then, the Acolyte pouring zuine and water over his 
fingers, he washes them, wipes them, and takes the second 
ablution; he then zvipes his mouth and the chalice which he 
covers; and having folded the corporal, places it on the altar, 
as at first; he then goes to the book, and reads the Commun- 
ion, for which see office of the day. 

COMMUNION. 

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after : 
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my 
life. 

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the 
man that hopeth in him. 

{For a Saint's Day.) Blessed is that servant whom his 
Lord when he cometh shall find watching. 

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross, and follow me. 

Then he turns to the people, and says: 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Then he reads the Post-Communions, for which see the 



WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN CATHOWC CHURCH. 141 

proper day; at the end of the first and last of which the Aco- 
lyte answers, Amen. 

POST-COMMUNION. 

Pour forth upon us, O Lord, the spirit of thy love, that, 
by thy mercy, thou mayest make those of one mind whom 
thou hast fed with one celestial food. Through our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity 
of the same Holy Spirit, etc. 

{For a Saint's Day.) Having received heavenly myster- 
ies, O Lord, in the commemoration of the blessed Mary ever 
Virgin, N., and all thy Saints; grant, we beseech thee, that 
what we celebrate in time, we may obtain in the joys of 
eternity. Through our Lord, etc. 

Afterwards he turns again towards the people, and says: 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Go, the Mass is ended; \_or zvhen the Gloria in excelsis 
■has been omitted:] Let us bless the Lord. 

(At high Mass, Ite missa est is chanted by the Deacon.) 

R. Thanks be to God. 

In Masses for the Dead. 

V. May they rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 

Bowing dozvn before the altar, zvith his hands joined and 
resting on it, the Priest says: 

O holy Trinity, let the performance of my homage be 
pleasing to thee, and grant that the sacrifice which I, un- 
worthy, have offered up in the sight of thy Majesty, may be 
acceptable to thee, and through thy mercy be a propitiation 
for me, and all those for whom I have offered it. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then he kisses the altar, and raising his eyes, extending, 
raising, and joining his hands, he bozvs his head to the Cruci- 
fix, and says: 

May almighty God, the Father, Son * and Holy Ghost, 
bless you. Amen. 

At the word Deus, he turns tozvards the people, and makes 



142 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the sign of the cross on them. Then turning to the Gospel 
side of the altar, he says: 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

[^The Benediction is omitted in Masses for the Dead.] 

He then traces the sign of the Cross, first upon the altar ,- 
and then upon his forehead, lips, and heart, and begins the 
Gospel according to St. John, saying: 

P. The beginning of the Holy Gospel according to St. 
John. 

R. Glory be to thee, O Lord. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
God, and the Word was God : The same was in the begin- 
ning with God. All things were made by him, and without 
him was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and 
the life was the light of men : and the light shineth in dark- 
ness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 
This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, 
that all men might believe through him. He was not the 
light, but came to give testimony of the light. He was the 
true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into 
this world. 

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and 
the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his 
own received him not. But as many as received him, to- 
them he gave power to become the sons of God : to those that 
believe in his name, who are born not of blood, nor of the 
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And 
THE Word was made flesh [here the people kneel down], 
and dwelt among us; and we saw his glory, as it were the 
glory of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and 
truth. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

When a feast falls on a Sunday, or other day which has a 
proper Gospel of its ozvn, the Gospel of the day is read in- 
stead of the Gospel of St. John. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE LUTHERAN RENOVATION OF WORSHIP. 

Luther was acquainted with the Roman Catholic wor- 
ship — its principles and forms — from his childhood. As a 
choir-boy he had sung in the Mass. When he was conse- 
crated priest in the year 1507, the bishop gave him as a part 
of his commission, '^ Receive power to offer sacrifice for the 
living and the dead." When he went to Rome in 151 1, he 
was such a devout Catholic that on catching the first sight 
of the eternal city, he fell to the ground and exclaimed : 
'' Hail to thee, thou holy Rome ! " 

But here as an honest German and devout priest he was 
greatly shocked at the impiety of the priests. " Among 
other vulgarities," as he afterwards related, " I, there, as we 
were seated at the table, heard the courtiers laughing and 
telling how some would say Mass, and speak thus over the 
bread and wine : ' Bread thou art, and bread thou shalt re- 
main; wine thou art, and wine thou shalt remain.' What 
was I to think of these things? If here in Rome they pub- 
licly and without reserve speak in this way, what if they, 
one and all, pope, cardinals and courtiers, say Mass thus! 
And, indeed, besides this, it exceedingly disgusted me to 
find them saying Mass with such utter indifference and 
haste, as if they had been practicing legerdemain ; for, before 
I had come to the Gospel, my fellow-priest had ended his 
Mass, and was calling to me : ' Passa, Passa, that will do, 
come away,' etc." While at Rome he foolishly ran to every 
church, nook and corner, in search of peace for his soul, 
and believed all the ridiculous stories and falsehoods related 
about saints, shrines and other places of sanctity. He says : 
*' I likewise said a Mass or two at Rome, and was very sorry 

(143) 



144 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

at the time that my parents were not dead, as by means of 
my Masses and precious works and prayers, I should have 
liked to deliver them from purgatory." 

So firmly was he convinced of the meritorious character 
of the Papacy and the principles of the Church, that he af- 
terwards said : '' If ever there was a person who made much 
of the pope and of the institutions of the fathers, and was 
most zealously attached to them, I was that persqn. And I 
observed and defended them with as much earnestness as if 
they had been holiness itself, and were so necessary for sal- 
vation that they must be observed. Therefore I fasted, and 
watched, and prayed, and tormented and plagued myself 
with other exercises far more than did all who are now my 
worst enemies and persecutors." 

In 1 5 12, Luther was made Doctor of Theology. His 
oath bound him to study and teach the Holy Scriptures. 
He now began to lecture on the Psalms, and soon on the 
Epistle to the Romans, and to study more carefully than 
before the works of Augustine. The result was a clear per- 
ception of the way to salvation, and a most determined op- 
position to Aristotle and the Scholastics. " Prior to all obe- 
dience the person must be acceptable, for God looked first 
upon Abel, and then upon his gift." On the Psalm Ixiv. 14, 
he writes : '' God will work justification. This operates 
against Aristotle, who wrote that we become righteous when 
we do righteousness. Much rather must a person be right- 
eous before he can work righteousness." April 7th, 15 16, he 
wrote to an Augustinian brother, as follows : " Learn Christ 
and him crucified. Learn to praise him, and, despairing of 
thyself, to say to him: Lord Jesus, thou art my righteous- 
ness, but I am thy sin. Thou didst take mine and didst 
give me thine. Thou didst become what thou wast not. 
Be careful not to aspire to so great holiness as not to wish 
to seem to yourself or to be a sinner. Christ dwells only in 
sinners. For he came down from Heaven, where he dwelt 
with the righteous, that he might also dwell with sinners. 
Meditate on that love, and thou wilt experience most pre- 



THE I.UTHKRAN RENOVATION OF WORSHIP. 145 

cious comfort." * On the i8th of May in the following year 
he wrote to John Lange : " Our theology and St. Augustine 
go on prosperously, and by the help of God, reign in our 
University. Aristotle is gradually going down, and will 
soon be overthrown, perhaps forever. The lectures on the 
Sententiaries are in complete disgust. No one may hope for 
an audience who is not willing to teach this theology, that is, 
the Bible, or St. Augustine, or some other doctor of author- 
ity in the Church, "f All this marks progress. The light 
was breaking. Scholasticism and traditionalism were mak- 
ing way for the grace and love for which sorrowing souls 
were sighing. The theology of penance was yielding to the 
theology of faith. The '* sworn doctor of Holy Scripture " 
had broken the seals which kept the Book of life closed 
from the people. His light cannot long remain under a 
bushel. 

In 1516, Luther was called to be assistant pastor of the 
Stadt-Kirche. Immediately he began to preach on grace 
and faith, and to comfort the penitent with the divine prom- 
ises of merc}^ and forgiveness. But when he discovered in 
the confessional that the people had obtained indulgences 
for their sins, and would not promise obedience and amend- 
ment of life, he refused absolution, preached against indul- 
gences, and prepared and nailed up the famous Ninety-five 
Theses, October 31st, 15 17. The sixty-second thesis reads: 
'' The real and true treasure of the Church is the most Holy 
Gospel of the glory and grace of God." Here is gained in 
distinct proposition a fundamental principle of the Prot- 
estant Reforrriation, and the objective or material truth of 
Evangelical Worship. The most Holy Gospel, the declara- 
tion of salvation by the Word, and the sealing of salvation 
by the sacraments, stands over against the traditions of men 
and the institutions of the Church. Sharp controversy with 
Sylvester Prierias, Jacob Hochstraten, John Eck and others, 
■developed this idea of the superiority of the Gospels, until 

* De Wette, T., p. 17. t De Wette, I., p. 57. 

10 



146 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

at Worms in 1521, he reached the sublime conclusion 
that in matters of religion the Word of God alone is the 
foundation of faith, and that it alone can bind the con- 
science. 

This is the Formal Principle of the Reformation, — the su- 
preme normative authority of the Word of God. This prin- 
ciple must be clearly and fully comprehended before there 
can be any distinct or proper conception of Evangelical Wor- 
ship, for Evangelical Worship bases itself not upon any 
word of man, nor upon any institutions of men, but alone 
upon the Word of God. "The Christian congregation should 
never assemble, except the Word of God be preached, and 
prayer be offered, even though it be very brief (Ps. cii. 22, 
23; I Cor. xiv. 31). Therefore when the Word of God is 
not preached, it were better that there should be neither 
singing, nor reading, nor meeting."* But Luther did not 
develop in a one-sided way. Along with his biblical idea, he 
developed the idea of the subjective apprehension of '' the 
real and true treasure of the Church," that is, the idea of 
faith in the worshiper. When in 15 18 Eck declared in the 
Obelisci : '' The sacraments of the new law effect what they 
signify," Luther replied in the Asterisci : '' The sacraments 
of the new law do not effect the grace which they signify, 
but faith is required prior to the sacrament. Moreover, 
faith is grace. Therefore, grace always precedes the sacra- 
ment, according to the well known saying, ' not the sacra- 
ment, but faith in the sacrament, justifies;' and as Augustine 
says : not because a work is done, but because faith is exer- 
cised."i 

In the same year he preached a sermon on The Proper 
Preparation of the Heart for the Reception of the Euchar- 
ist. He declares that it is a great and pernicious error to 
come to the sacrament confiding in the confession that has 
been made, or because one is not conscious of mortal sin, or 

* Ordnung des Gottesdienstes, 1523. 
t Jena Ed., I., p. 34. 



THE I.UTHERAN RENOVATION OF WORSHIP. 1 47 

has said his prayers and engaged in preparatory exercises : 
** Faith alone, the highest and most immediate preparation, 
makes its pure and worthy, because trust is not put in our 
own works or powers, but in the most pure, holy and sure 
Word of Christ, who says : ' Come unto me, all ye who labor 
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' And again: 
' Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteous- 
ness; for they shall be filled.' It is faith which justifies, 
purifies and renders worthy." * In his sermon on Penance, 
of the same year, he says : " All is at once given in faith, 
which alone makes the sacraments effect what they signify, 
and everything to be true which the priest says ; for as thou 
believest, so is it done unto thee. Without faith all absolu- 
tion, all the sacraments are vain; yea, they do more harm 
than good."t Thus is gained the second great fundamental 
principle of the Reformation, the righteousness of faith. 
This yields the second necessary condition of worship, 
namely, that of subjective truth, w^hich bases worship not on 
a divine appointment as such, but on the activity of the wor- 
shiper's faith, which an officiating priest can neither create 
nor annul. Worship is the approach of the individual soul 
to God. Hence it must be conducted in spirit and in truths 
John iv. 24. The individual must hear the Word and receive 
the sacrament for himself, and then, on the ground of the 
grace communicated in the Word and sacrament, he must 
pray, confess and give thanks of himself and for himself; 
but in connection with the praying, confessing and grateful 
Church, which seeks through individuals to declare the wor- 
ship of God in spirit and in truth, as a present and substan- 
tial reality, and not to render it as a symbolical representa- 
tion of the true and spiritual worship. The conclusion from 
this is inevitable : If the individual must go before God with 
his own prayer, confession and praise, then a separate priest- 
hood is not an essential of divine worship. The individual 
can comfort himself out of Word and sacrament, or the con- 

*Jena Ed., L, p. 176. t Jena Ed, I., p. 319- 



148 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

gregation, for the sake of good order, can appoint one of her 
members to the office of teacher and minister of the means 
of grace. 

Luther was not slow to see the conclusion involved in his 
doctrine of the righteousness of faith in the individual. 
Hence in his tract on The Abrogation of Private Mass, he 
asserts that '' The priesthood of Christ is spiritual, and is 
common to all Christians. All who are Christians are priests 
in the same sense in which Christ is a priest, that is, are sons 
of Christ the High Priest. Hence we have no need of any 
Mediator except Christ, since every priest, according to He- 
brews, fifth chapter, prays for the people and teaches the 
people. But every Christian prays for himself in Christ and 
has personal access to God (Romans v)." And again: 
" The Christian people are one. Among them there is no 
distinction, no difference of persons. There ought to be no 
laymen, no clergymen. No one ought to be shaven or 
anointed. There ought to be no monk, no nun, but all with- 
out distinction, whether married or single, as each one may 
choose. Bishops or presbyters, elders or deacons, ought to 
differ in no respect from other Christians, except only in the 
administration of the Word and sacrament, just as a senator 
differs in no respect from his fellow-citizens except in the 
office of governing the people." * 

He also drew the following antithesis between the priest- 
hood of Christ and the priesthood of the Pope : 

PRIESTHOOD. 

CHRISTIAN. PAPISTICAL, 

Christ the High Priest, Pope the High Priest. 

His law, the grace of life, His law, the tradition of the canon law. 

Sacrifice, his own body, Sacrifice, Eucharist and money. 

Good works, to serve one's neighbor, Good works, ceremonies. 

Sins, the omission of commands. Sins, the omission of commands.! 

Punishment, eternal death. Punishment, false excommunication. 

Reward, eternal glory, Reward, peace and riches of the world. 

Ministers, preachers of the Gospel, Ministers, declaimers of vanities. 

Experience, the cross with joy, Experience, a bad conscience. 

Jena Ed., II., p. 491. 

* Jena Ed., II., pp. 468, 473. 

fin the antithesis the original is the same: Peccata Praedictorum 
omissio. 



THK I.UTHERAN RENOVATION OP' WORSHIP. 1 49 

All this taken together not only sweeps away the last ves- 
tige of the opus operatwn, but it leaves no room for a medi- 
ating priesthood. Worship is worship, not because a cer- 
tain work has been performed by a certain delegated person, 
but in so far as it is a true expression of the worshiper's 
true relation to God, and on the part of the congregation is 
the evidence of its own spiritual life. " In a word, worship 
is really worship in proportion as it is not merely ex thesi, 
but de facto, the service of the congregation, a proving and 
a certifying of the life of faith pulsating in the individuals, 
an act of the universal priesthood." * 

Thus is established a third principle which enters into the 
conception and celebration of Evangelical Worship, viz., that 
it is to be participated in by the people, and that there can 
be no proper celebration of the sacrament of the body and 
blood of Christ, except there be communicants who actually 
receive the sacrament, " for the sacrament is a communion 
of all saints, hence its name Communio, that is, communion; 
and in Latin, Communicare means to receive the sacrament, 
or as we say in German, to go to the sacrament. It means 
that Christ and all his saints are one spiritual body."t 

But the abrogation of the priesthood is the abrogation of 
the sacrifice, or vice versa, since the one is the correlate of 
the other. 

In the second part of the tract on the Abrogation of the 
Private Mass, Luther overthrows the doctrine of the sacri- 
fice of the Mass : " We have the example of Christ, which 
is for our instruction. Christ says : ' Do this in remembrance 
of me.' What is it to ' do this? ' Is it not that which 1 am 
now doing with you ? Did he with golden chalice and pall 
and endless paraphernalia, make a sacrifice? By no means." 

Again : " To make a sacrifice out of it is to change the 
very substance of the sacrament and institution of Christ !" % 

He further declares that the Eucharist is not an officium 

* Kcestlin, Geschichte, p. 143. 
t Erlangen Ed., 27, p. 29. 
: , tjena Ed., II., pp. 476-7- 



150 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

of man, but a heneficium for man. Christ is not sacrificed 
in the Eucharist : He is given and appHed. 

Thus a fourth principle is gained for EvangeHcal Wor- 
ship, The worshiper in the Eucharistic service is not a 
donor, but the recipient of a divine gift. The grace of sal- 
vation, the forgiveness of sins, is imparted, sealed, but not 
unconditionally. There must be remembrance of Christ and 
faith in his Word : " This is my blood of the New Testa- 
ment, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." 

These now are the four great fundamental principles of 
the Reformation, viz: (i) the supreme and normative au- 
thority of the Word of God; (2) the personal faith of the 
individual; (3) the universal priesthood of believers; (4) 
the sacraments as means of grace to worthy recipients. 

But these principles were not merely so many theological 
propositions to be held by the understanding. They had 
entered into Luther's heart and had become a part of his 
experience. " The gospel is a joyous message which de- 
clares that the law has been fulfilled and that Christ the 
fulfiller of the law is our righteousness, sanctification and 
redemption. The conscience has peace when it perceives 
the grace and mercy of God in Christ, and is certified that 
Christ's merit has been imparted to us." Time and again 
does he speak of the joyous experience of salvation. What 
had filled his heart pours forth from his lips : " Some one 
might say to me : can you do nothing but talk against human 
righteousness, wisdom and strength, and must you always 
be explaining the Scriptures in regard to the righteousness 
and grace of God, and thus play on only one string and sing 
only one little song? 

" T answer : Let each look to himself. I confess for myself 
that when I have found Christ in a small degree in the Scrip- 
tures, T have not been satisfied. So often as I have found 
more of Christ I have not become the poorer; I am certain 
that God the Holy Ghost neither knows nor wishes to know 
more than Jesus Christ, as he says : ' He will declare me. 



THE I.UTHERAN RENOVATION OF WORSHIP. 151 

He will not speak of himself, but he will take of mine and 
show it unto you.' Christ is God's grace, mercy, righteous- 
ness, truth, wisdom, strength, comfort, salvation, given to us 
of God freely. Christ, I say, not (as some blindly say) 
causalitcr, because he gives righteousness, and remains 
away; for that is dead, yea, is not given at all. Christ is 
also there; just as the rays of the sun and the heat of the 
fire do not exist where the sun and the fire are not."* 

But the experience of salvation which filled Luther's own 
soul, he sought to impart to others. The great principles, 
of the supreme authority of the Word of God, of personal 
faith, of the universal priesthood of believers, of the sacra- 
ments as means of grace, could have value for Luther as a 
" sworn doctor of Holy Scripture " only in so far as they 
could be practically applied in comforting and edifying poor 
sinful souls. 

The practical application of the first principle is the trans- 
lation of the Word of God into the language of the people. 
This Luther began at the Wartburg in 152 1. In the follow- 
ing year he published the New Testament; and in 1534 the 
entire Bible was published in German. The second and 
third principles were applied in the frequent and earnest 
preaching of the divine Word which Luther restored to the 
chief place in divine worship, and regarded as the chief in- 
strument for begetting and increasing faith. On this point 
Dr. Plitt remarks : '' It had been constantly taught by Luther 
that no person comes of himself to the faith which brings 
communion with God, and that no one can prepare himself 
for it, but that it is wrought alone by the power of God 
through the Holy Ghost. But in the work of grace on the 
spirit of man, God uses external means. What he himself 
has appointed to this end, that he does not eschew. The 
chief means by which God approaches man is the Word, 
which convicts of sin and offers grace. This he commands 
to be preached, and he demands faith in it as something 

* Erlangen Ed., 2>7> P- 44i- 



152 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

absolutely decisive. Yet the person who hears the Word 
does not himself bestow faith on himself. But God, when 
the Word is preached, works faith through the Spirit, who 
speaks in the Word. Where this Word- is preached, there 
God reveals himself, there is communion with* God, there 
is the Church. It is there already before the individuals, 
who by its instrumentalit}^ and by its witness come to faith, 
and are born again."* 

The fourth principle was applied in rejecting the Mass and 
in restoring the Lord's Supper to a communion of the body 
and blood of Christ, as it had been originally instituted. In 
his tract on the Abomination of the Private Mass (1523 is 
the date given by Aurifaber), he says: ''You have now 
heard and learned in the Gospel that we can be saved from 
sin, death, the devil and a bad conscience, and can come to 
true piety before God, and to eternal life, in no way by works 
and laws, whatever they may be and be called. God will 
have no means or mediator except his Son, whom the Father 
hath sent into the world and allowed to give his blood, that 
thereby he might secure for us the treasure of faith. . . . 

" Therefore we have and know no sacrifice except that 
made by Christ on the cross, on which he died once, as the 
Epistle to the Hebrews says, and hath put away the sins of 
all men and hath sanctified us forever. This, I say, is our 
Gospel, that Christ has sanctified us through his sacrifice, 
and has redeemed us from sin, death, and the devil, and hath 
placed us in his heavenly kingdom. This we must embrace 
by faith alone, and maintain. So have we often preached 
and urged that every one might know it, and thence con- 
clude that all our works undertaken for the purpose of re- 
penting of sin and escaping death must all be blasphemous, 
and deny God, and mar the sacrifice made by Christ and his 
blood."t 

Luther's activity in the renovation of the ceremonies of 
worship began in the year 1523. In a communication to 
* Einleitung in die Augustana, p. 150. 
t Erlangen Ed., 29, pp. 116, 117. 



THE LUTHERAN RENOVATION OF WORSHIP. 1 53 

the Chapter of All Saints Church at Wittenberg, August 
19th, 1523, he outlines an entirely new order of service. 
The letter is so important that we present it entire : 

" Grace and peace. Dearly beloved and venerable in 
Christ; since you request that I prescribe a form of service 
for you by which, the mercenary worship of your Church 
may be regulated, I will do what I can without hesitation, 
although there are those among you who could do it better, 
and who are better acquainted with your affairs and are not 
ignorant of ours. I cheerfully submit the following to your 
consideration : 

'' In the first place, if it be true (as some of you testify) 
that there is disorder in those Masses, and that at least a 
great part are celebrated by drunken and lazy fellows, who 
care absolutely for nothing except money, which they try to 
get by their own bellowing, or by a display of their office — 
these should be either absolutely excluded, or should be 
forced to a condition of sobriety. For by no means is office 
or work to be endured, especially in sacred things, where 
the persons are not, as far as may be, regarded as suitable. 

" Secondly. Retaining or taking into service suitable per- 
sons, let absolutely all mercenary Masses and vigils be abol- 
ished, and that without considering whether there be some 
who still do not understand, or cannot understand, that the 
practice of such Masses is sacrilegious and abominable, since 
for almost two years they have heard and seen enough of 
these things. Neither under King Josiah did all the proph- 
ets of Baal understand their impieties; yet Josiah did not 
regard them when he destroyed their idolatry. It is one 
thing to tolerate the weak in things indifferent ; but in things 
manifestly impious, it is impious to be tolerant; and it is 
certain that we also are polluted with that impiety, if we bear 
it longer by keeping silent, as we have hitherto kept silent. 

" Thirdly. Let the morning and evening hours remain as 
the completorium, yet in such a way that only songs for the 
time be sung, but not about any saints except such as we 



154 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

have from Scripture. Also the collects and songs which 
have reference to the worship of saints should be changed to 
collects and songs for the time. 

'' But in the place of the Masses at the morning hours, let 
there be a lesson from the Old Testament before the Te 
Deum Laudamus, with exhortation according to Apostolic 
custom, and interpretation, as we read in i Cor. xiv. Let 
the president do this, or whoever pleases. Likewise at 
evening let there be a lesson from the New Testament with 
interpretation by Dr. Amsdorf or some one else, and this 
would be proper before the Magnificat instead of the hymns, 
or after the hymns. The completorium, because of its name 
and its signification, ought to be completed after supper and 
before going to sleep. 

" Fourthly. As hitherto presents were given to those who 
were present at Masses and vigils, and refused the absent, 
so now let them be given or withheld from those who are 
present or absent from the lections. Thus it will come about 
that those also can enjoy presents who wish to be godly, 
while hitherto no one could enjoy them unless he wished to 
be ungodly. However, without labor or service, none will 
now enjoy them who shall faithfully attend to the lections. 

" Fifthly. Let the minor chorus be reduced to some kind 
of order, or be entirely abolished, since absolutely and solely 
it leads to the worship of Mary as mediator instead of 
Christ. 

'' Sixthly. On festivals and Lord's days let one Mass be 
celebrated, if there are communicants who are accustomed 
to celebrate it of their own accord, or wish to. 

REASON. 

" First in regard to the Mass. That it is neither a sacri- 
fice nor a work is proved by the words of Christ, who in- 
stituted it, and by the example of the Apostles and the entire 
primitive Church. Ask the Mass priests what is the benefit 
and fruit of their Masses. If they shall say they are held for 
the putting away of sins or for the worship of God, that 



THE IvUTHKRAN RENOVATION OF WORSHIP. 1 55 

manifestly is impious, since now there is only one sacrifice 
for putting away sins, namely, Christ, who was offered once, 
•of whom we are all made partakers, not by performing a 
work or by offering a sacrifice, but alone by believing 
through the Word. To add to this sacrifice as though it had 
not taken away the sins of all, is blasphemous. Therefore, 
the conclusion stands, either that by the death of Christ sins 
present and future have not been blotted out, or the Mass 
cannot be a sacrifice or work for sins. When faith is exer- 
cised through the Mass, only the death of Christ is victorious 
over sins, and is efficacious in us, but not by work or sacri- 
fice. 

'^ Secondly. In regard to saints and vigils this is the rea- 
son: It is dangerous to attempt anything in sacred matters 
and before God, which does not have a sure testimony and 
•example in the Scriptures. Therefore, although allowance 
may be made for the private devotion of a pious man, who 
may engage in these things according to his own feelings, 
yet it is not lawful to tolerate open and public worship in 
these things, on account of offense to the ignorant and weak 
who abandon faith and crowd to them. Therefore every- 
thing is brought under suspicion which has been introduced 
by false miracles and by private testimonies in regard to 
Scriptures. 

''Therefore it is evident that this worship, outlined by us, 
was formerly common to all Christians. Afterwards, when 
the people lost their influence, only the ministers of the 
churches (and in Latin) observed it. Hence began the 
distinction between the clergy and the laity. 

''Afterwards, by a greater evil, worship which had been 
common to all, began to be converted into a peculiar service 
of God, and thus out of lections and communion a work was 
made. Faith and the preaching of the Word were subordi- 
nated, until, to the supreme evil and ruin of all, the com- 
mon worship began to be sold to the laity by the clerg}^ for 
making atonement of sins and for reconciling God. 



156 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

'' Thus, when Christ, the sole Mediator for men, was re- 
moved and gotten out of the way, those armies of mediators- 
and intercessors came into his place. Care must be taken 
lest this happen again and last longer. But this can be done 
in no way except by recovering and preserving the ministry 
of the Word. If this form of worship shall seem simple and 
poor as compared with that former ostentatious and elabo- 
rate form, consider on the contrary how exceedingly simple 
Christ was when the worship among the Jews was most 
elaborate and imposing; and, again, how full and strong 
Christ was in faith and in charity by means of this simple 
form of worship. 

** These, most excellent sirs, are my suggestions. More 
may be seen in ni}^ tracts on vows and Masses. May the 
Lord, who has shined again upon you in goodness, illumine 
and warm your hearts, that ye may know and do his good,, 
and acceptable, and perfect will. Amen," etc.* 

This letter contains Luther's entire system in epitome. It 
expresses with distinctness, and seeks to make a practical ap- 
plication of each of the great evangelical principles which 
had come to him through years of devout study of the divine 
Word, and had been tested by his own experience. It de- 
serves a monumental place by the side of the three distinc- 
tively liturgical writings in which Luther specifically dis- 
cusses the principles of divine worship, and provides forms 
in which it is to be conducted. These are : 

1. The Order of Divine Service in the Congregation,. 

1523. 

2. -The Formula Missae, 1523. 

3. The German Mass, 1526. 

*' The first named of these writings is taken up with the 
subordinate and week-day services. The second, the For- 
mula Missae, gives a form of the Chief Divine Service as 
it was arranged when only the absolutely objectionable is 
excluded and the rest is retained."! 

* De Wette, II., pp. 389-391. t Koestlin, Geschichte, p. 171. 



THE I.UTHERAN RENOVATION OF WORSHIP. 1 57 

The third, the German Mass, carries out still more fully 
those ideas of simplicity in evangelical worship which had 
been so clearly expressed in the letter to the Chapter of All 
Saints at Wittenberg. 

As these three writings are of fundamental importance for 
the study and comprehension of Lutheran worship, we give 
them entire in the next chapter. 

Though it is proper to introduce here a few paragraphs on 
the earliest attempts of Reformers to purify worship from 
unevangelical elements. 

Already in the year 1520, Andreas Bodenstein von Karl- 
stadt demanded a biblical order of worship, and in the next 
year he insisted that the pericopes should be regularly ex- 
plained to the people. On Christmas day, 1521, the Lord's 
Supper was administered by Karlstadt " in ordinary attire, 
without ornaments and special ceremonies, to two thousand 
persons."* On New Year's day, 1522, and on the follow- 
ing Sundays, he administered the Lord's Supper in the same 
way in the German language to all who desired it. He also 
drew up a social and ecclesiastical constitution, which was 
accepted and approved by the university and town council. 
This Order for the Tozvn of Wittenberg lays down the fun- 
-damental principle that '' when the Mass is held the Word 
of God and the Gospel of Christ must be preached, and 
always the Word of God and the Mass must be ministered 
at the same time. The Mass shall not be held otherwise 
than as instituted by Christ. On account of the weak in 
faith, the Introit, the Kyrie Eleison et in Terra, the Epistle, 
the Gradual without the sequence, the Gospel, the Creed 
without the Offertorium, the Sanctus, shall be sung. Both 
Canons are to be omitted, because they are contrary to the 
Scripture. Care must be taken to preach the evangelical 
Mass. If there be communicants, the consecration shall take 
place. The priest may commune if he wishes." f 

Pictures and altars in the churches were to be removed, 

* Zeitschrift fur Kirchengeschichte, Vol. XXII., p. 125. 

t Studien unci Kritiken. 1897, P- 820. Andreas Bodenstein von Karl- 



158 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

*' SO that idolatry may be avoided, for three altars without 
pictures are enough." The communicant was also permitted 
to take the consecrated host in his hand and to put it to his- 
mouth. 

This Order J though it was not long used in Wittenberg, 
left an abiding impression on worship among the Lutherans. 
It fixed the custom of retaining the evangelical elements of 
the traditional service; of omitting the Canon; of giving 
the chief place to the sermon ; of consecrating the bread and 
wine in the vernacular ; of giving both forms to the commu- 
nicant. The Church at Wittenberg did not return to the 
use of the Latin language in celebrating the Lord's Supper, 
and its example was followed in 1522 by Rudolph Weissen- 
berg in Basel, by Casper Kantz in Nordlingen, by Pastor 
Zell in Strassburg. At Easter in 1523 Thomas Miinzer in- 
troduced the German Mass in Alstadt in Thuringia. 

These Reformers and others applied Luther's principles, 
before he himself did, and they made it comparatively easy 
for Luther to introduce the Deutsche Messe in 1525. Karl- 
stadt's changes were revolutionary, but they were not so- 
radical as they are sometimes supposed to have been. 
Smend very properly says : " In regard to the traditional 
order the change manifestly was not excessively revolu- 
tionary."* 

stadt. By Barge, I., p. 379. Richter, Kirchenordnungen, IL, p. 484^ 
C. R., I., p. 540, Seckendorf, Historia, Vol. I., p. 217. 
* Die Evang. deutschen Messen, p. 3. 



CHAPTER VIL 

LUTHER'S LITURGICAL WRITINGS. 

I. 

OF THE ORDER OF DIVINE WORSHIP IN THE CONGREGATION, 

[The Erlangen Editor of Luther's works gives the titles of eight dis- 
tinct editions of this tract, all of which are dated 1523. The first in 
the list of titles is as follows : Von ordenung ] gottisdienst yn | der 
gemeyne | Doctor Martin | Luther. | Wittemberg. | M. D. XXIII. 
We translate from the text of the edition under this title, as given in 
the Erlangen Edition of Luther's works, Vol. XXII., p. 153, et seq.] 

The divine worship which now prevails everywhere has- 
a noble Christian origin, as has also the office of preaching. 
But as the office of preaching has been corrupted by priestly^ 
tyrants, so also the divine worship has been corrupted by 
hypocrites. 

As we do not abolish the office of preaching, but desire to 
bring it again to its true position, so also it is not our inten- 
tion to abolish divine worship, but to bring it again to a. 
proper course., 

THE ABUSES. 

Three great abuses have come into divine worship. The 
first is that the Word of God has been silenced, and there 
is only reading and singing in the churches. This is the 
most mischievous abuse. Secondly, when the Word of God 
was silenced, there came in so many unchristian fables and 
lies, in legends, songs and sermons, that it is dreadful to 
behold them. Thirdly, that such service is to be performed 
as a work with which to secure God's grace and salvation. 
Then faith ceased, and every one desired to found churches,, 
and to become a priest, a monk, or a nun. 

IMPORTANCE OF PREACHING. 

Now, in order to reform these abuses, we must know first 

(159) 



l6o CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

of all that the Christian congregation should never assemble 
except the Word of God be preached and prayer be offered, 
even though it be very short, as in Psalm cii. When the 
king and the people assemble to worship God, they should 
proclaim the name and praise of God. 

The Apostle Paul says, i Cor. xiv. : " In the congregation 
there shall be prophesying, teaching and admonishing." 
Therefore, where God's Word is not preached, it were better 
neither to sing, nor to read, nor to assemble. 

THE MORNING WORSHIP. 

The custom which existed at the time of the Apostles 
should still be in vogue, namely, that Christians assembled 
an hour every morning when a pupil, or a priest,. or some 
one else read, just as now the lesson is read at matins. This 
should be done by one or two persons, or by one after 
another, just as may be for the best. 

Then should the preacher, or whoever has been appointed, 
come forward and explain a part of the lesson, so that the 
others ma}^ understand it, learn and be admonished. This 
first service Paul calls speaking with tongues (i Cor. xiv.), 
the other explaining and prophesying and speaking with 
the understanding. 

Where this is not done the congregation receives no bene- 
fit from the lesson, as hitherto has been the case in cloisters 
and churches, where they have only puffed against the walls. 

The lesson should be from the Old Testament. One book 
should be taken up and a chapter or two read, or half a 
chapter, until the end is reached. Then another should be 
taken up, and so on, until the whole Bible shall be explained ; 
and where it cannot be understood, it should be passed over, 
and God honored. 

Thus by daily use of the Scripture, Christians become in- 
telligent and versed in the Scripture, for in this way in 
former times excellent Christians were produced, and vir- 
gins and martyrs; and should be still. 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAI. WRITINGS. l6l 

Now after the reading and explanation have lasted half 
an hour, or longer, the congregation should thank and praise 
God and pray for the fruit of the Word, etc. For this a 
Psalm shall be used, or some good responsories, or an anti- 
phon, but brief, so that all may be done in an hour, or as 
long as it pleases. For souls must not be burdened, so as 
to become tired and disgusted, as hitherto in cloisters and 
churches they have had to bear a donkey's burden. 

THE EVENING SERVICE. 

Likewise at five or six in the evening the people should 
assemble again. At this time the books of the Old Testa- 
ment, one after another, should be taken up, namely, the 
prophets, just as in the morning the books of Moses and the 
histories. But since the New Testament is also a book of 
the Bible, I use the Old Testament in the morning, and the 
New in the evening, or vice versa, and thus read, explain, 
praise, sing and pray, as in the morning for an hour. This 
is all done that the Word of God may come into use and 
souls may be edified and quickened, and not become indif- 
ferent. 

OTHER SERVICES. 

Another service may also be held after dinner, if thought 
desirable. 

Although the whole congregation may not be able to at- 
tend these daily services, yet this should be done by the 
priests and pupils, and those who hope to become good 
preachers and pastors. They must also be admonished that 
this is a voluntary matter, to be done without constraint or 
dislike, and not for a reward either temporal or eternal, but 
alone for the glory of God and for the good of our neighbor. 

But on Sundays the whole congregation should assemble, 
in addition to the daily assembly of small companies, and 
then, as heretofore has been customary, sing the Mass and 
the vespers, but in such a way that at both times the con- 
gregation may hear preaching, in the morning on the Gospel, 



1 62 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

in the evening on the Epistle; or the preacher may take a 
book or two as he may think profitable. 

THE SACRAMENT. 

If any one should desire to receive the sacrament, it shall 
be given to him, as this can be done in regular order accord- 
ing to the circumstances of the time and persons. 

The daily Masses shall by all means be abolished, for as 
compared with the Word, there is nothing in the Mass. Yet 
if on days other than Sundays, some shall desire the sacra- 
ment, a Mass may be held, as devotion and time permit, for 
in this matter no law nor limit can be fixed. 

The singing in the Sunday Masses and vespers shall re- 
main, for that is very good, and is taken from Scripture, 
yet it may be diminished or increased. But it shall be the 
duty of the pastor and preacher to regulate the singing and 
the Psalms so that in the morning a Psalm or suitable re- 
sponsory, or an antiphon with a collect, may be appointed; 
in the evening, likewise, there shall be reading and singing 
together after the lesson and explanation. But the anti- 
phon, responsories and collects, the legends of the saints and 
of the cross, may be omitted for a while yet, until they shall 
be purified, for they contain an abominable amount of filth. 

THE FESTIVALS. 

The festivals of all the saints shall be abolished, except 
that on Simday a good Christian story may be introduced 
after the Gospel as an illustration. Nevertheless the festi- 
vals of purification, of annunciation of Mary I would retain. 
The assumption and nativity must also be retained for a 
time, even though the singing in them is not pure. The fes- 
tival of John the Baptist is pure. The legend of the Apos- 
tles is not pure, except that of St. Paul. Therefore it may 
be used on Sundays, or if desirable, especially celebrated. 

THE CHIEF THING. 

There are other things which will shape themselves with 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAI. WRITINGS. 1 63 

time, but the chief thing is that everything may be done in 
such a manner that the Word may have free course, and 
not again become a howl and sound as it heretofore has been. 
It were better that all be abandoned rather than the Word, 
and there is nothing better than the Word ; and that it should 
have free course among Christians, the whole Scriptures 
show, and Christ himself said, Luke x. : " One thing is need- 
ful, namely, that Mary should sit at Christ's feet and hear 
his Word daily, which is that best part which she has chosen, 
and which shall never be taken from her." There is one 
eternal Word. Everything else must pass away, no matter 
how much concern it may cause Martha. To this may God 
help us. Amen. 



Very properly has Kliefoth remarked : " In this first word 
which was uttered by the Lutheran Church on matters of 
divine worship, lie its principles in full."* And Daniel de- 
clares : '' He (Luther) does not wish to abolish, but to re- 
form and restore."! He is eminently conservative. He is 
not willing to shock the people by radical changes. He 
wishes to retain whatever is good and pure in the services 
of the Church. He is intent chiefly on quickening and ele- 
vating the people, that they may honor God and do good to 
their fellow-men. Two things deserve special attention : 

I. Preaching is restored to its proper place as the central 
point of divine worship. " The Christian congregation 
should never assemble, except the Word of God be preached 
and prayer be offered, even though it be very short — where 
the Word of God is not preached, it were better neither to 
sing, nor read, nor to assemble. One thing is needful, 
namely, that Mary should sit at Christ's feet and hear his 
Word daily, which is that best part." The position here 
given to preaching has been, and still is, a marked feature 
of Lutheran worship, which has, as Guericke says, '' its all 
supporting centre and foundation in the pure declaration of 

* P. 8. t Codex Lit, II, p. 75. 



164 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the divine Word through the sermon as the integrating 
member of an organic totaHty."* 

2. He (Luther) found the Word of God especially sup- 
planted by the festivals of the saints, through legends and 
unchristian stories — ^' an abominable amount of filth." 
Therefore he wished to have almost all these festivals abol- 
ished, t In this writing he would retain only five of the 
festivals then in current use. In his Formula Missae he 
mentions one or two additional which he would retain. At 
this time, almost every day in the year had its saint, who 
was in some way honored or remembered in the worship of 
the Church. The Sabbath w^as greatly depreciated. It was 
this condition of things which led Luther to wish " That 
every festival be abolished, and that the Sabbath alone be 
retained. But if there still be a desire to observe the festi- 
vals of our lady and of the great saints, that they all be 
transferred to the Sabbath, or observed only in the morning 
at Mass, after which the whole day [other than the Sab- 
bath] may be a work day. "J 

;■ - • ^ II. I 

' THE FORMULA MISSAE. 

[The title given in the Erlangen edition of Luther's works is Formula 
Miss« et Communionis pro Ecclesia Vuittenbergensi, 1523. Dr. Henry- 
Schmidt, the Erlangen editor, says : " Luther was frequently impor- 
tuned both by others and by Nicholas Hausman, first pastor (Luther 
calls him Episcopus) of the people of Zwickau, or the church of the 
Swan, to set forth and prescribe a form for saying Mass and for 
Communion. He conceived the purpose of yielding to these requests 
and importunities in the month of October in the year 1523, and in the 
month of November of the same year composed, and in the month of 
December published, the book in which he arranged a plan of the Mass 
for the Wittenberg church, though indeed, without enjoining that any 
one should not embrace or follow another. 

" In the year 1523, this book was published in quarto and in octavo 
form, and in the following year Paul Speratus translated it into the 
German language, and having dedicated it by the authority of Luther 
to his former Iglavian parishioners in Moravia, published it under the 

* Symbolik, p. 664. t Plitt, Einleitung, p. 334. 

t Erlangen Ed., 21, 329. 



i^uther's uturgical writings. 165 

title Eyn Wege Christlich Mass zu halten und Zum tisch Gottes zu 
gehen, Martinus Luther, Wittenberg, M. D. XXIV." 

The translation given below is made from the Erlangen (Latin), 
edition of Luther's works. Vol. VII., p. 2, et seq.'] 

For the venerable in Christ, Dr. Nicholas Haiisman, Pas- 
tor of the church of the Swan, blessed in Christ, 

Martin Luther 
Prays grace and peace in Christ. I 

CHANGES MUST BE GRADUAL. 

Hitherto in my books and sermons to the people I have 
tried first to call away their hearts from impious opinions in 
regard to ceremonies, and thought that I was doing some- 
thing Christian and advantageous by causing the destruc- 
tion, without violence, of the abomination which Satan had 
set up in the holy place by the Man of Sin. Hence I at- 
tempted nothing by violence or by authority, nor did I ex- 
change the old for the new, for I always hesitated and 
feared on account of persons weak in faith, from whom the 
old and familiar mode of worshiping God cannot suddenly 
be taken away in favor of a new and untried mode. There 
are especially the trifling and fastidious spirits, who, like 
unclean swine, rush headlong without faith or sense, and 
delight in novelty only, and then are disgusted as soon as 
the novelty ceases. Such persons are troublesome enough 
in other things, but in holy things they are most troublesome 
and intolerable. Nevertheless, though full of indignation, 
I am compelled to bear with them, unless I am willing that 
the Gospel itself be removed. 

But since now there is hope that the hearts of many have 
been enlightened and strengthened by the grace of God,, 
something must be risked in the name of Christ, that at 
length scandals in regard to the kingdom of Christ may be 
removed. It is proper, also, that we make provision for 
even the few, lest while we constantly dread the levity and 
abuses, we provide for none at all, and while we wish to 
avoid future scandals, we strengthen all their abominations. 



1 66 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Hence, most excellent Nicholas, as you have frequently re- 
quested, we will treat of a godly form for saying Mass (as 
they call it) and for administering Communion; and we will 
do it in such a way as no longer to rule hearts by the word 
of doctrine only. We will apply our hand to making pro- 
vision for the public administration; yet we will hinder no 
one from embracing and following another. Yea, we ear- 
nestly, and for Christ's sake, beseech that if anything better 
shall have been revealed to them, they bid us be silent, that 
by a common labor we may serve the common cause. 

In the first place we declare that it is not and has never 
been our intention entirely to abolish all divine worship, but 
to purify that now in use, though defiled by the most abom- 
inable additions, and to indicate its pious use. For it cannot 
be denied that Masses and the Communion of bread and 
wine, is a rite instituted by Christ, which at first under 
Christ himself and afterward under the Apostles, was cele- 
brated in the most simple and pious manner without any 
additions. But in the course of time it was augmented by 
so many human inventions that nothing of the Mass and 
Communion has come down to our times, except the name. 

THE ANCIENT SERVICE. 

The additions of the early fathers, who are said to have 
prayed a Psalm or two with subdued voice before blessing 
the bread and wine, are commendable. Athanasius and 
Cyprian are thought to have done this. We also approve 
those who subsequently added the Kyrie Eleison. We read 
that under Basil the Great the Kyrie Eleison was used in 
public by all the people. Also the reading of the Epistles 
and the Gospels was and is necessary, unless it be a fault that 
they were not read in a language understood by the people. 
Afterwards when chanting was begun, the Psalms were 
changed into the introit. Then was added the angelic hymn, 
the Gloria in Excelsis, et in terra pax. Likewise the grad- 
uals, the Halleluia, the Agnus Dei, the Communion. All 



LUTHER'S IvlTURGICAL WRITINGS. 1 67 

these are such as cannot be censured, especially those which 
are sung de tempore and on Lord's days. These days alone 
still testify to ancient purity, except the Canon. 

CORRUPTION OF THE ANCIENT SERVICE. 

But now when any one was allowed to add and to change 
as he pleased, then by reason of the tyranny of money and 
sacerdotal ambition, those altars and insignia of Baal and of 
all the gods began to be placed in the temple of the Lord by 
our impious kings, that is, bishops and pastors. Here an 
impious Ahaz took away the golden altar and substituted for 
it another brought from Damascus : I speak of that mangled 
and abominable Canon, gathered from every source of filth 
and corruption. Then the Mass began to be made a sacri- 
fice; offertories and mercenary collects were added; sequen- 
ces and proses were placed between the Sanctus and the 
Gloria in Excelsis. Then the Mass began to be a sacerdotal 
monopoly exhausting the resources of the whole world, and 
flooding the whole earth like a vast desert, with those rich, 
idle, powerful, voluptuous and unclean celibates. Hence 
M'asses for the dead, for journeys, for riches, and who can 
count the names alone for which the Mass was made a sac- 
rifice ? 

And the Canon is still increasing and is adding acts and 
communicants to the various festivals. I say nothing about 
the commemoration of the living and the dead, which is not 
yet brought to its end. But what shall I say about the ex- 
ternal additions of garments, vessels, tapers, palls, organs, 
musical apparatus and pictures? There was scarcely a 
manufactory in the whole world which was not in large part 
supported and enriched by the Mass. 

Therefore, let these things be passed by, and, under the 
revelation of the Gospel, let them pass by so great abomina- 
tions until they shall have been entirely abolished. Mean- 
while Ave will prove all things and hold fast that which is 
good. But in this book we will not say that the Mass is not 



1 68 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

a sacrifice or a good work, because we have taught enough 
on that subject elsewhere. We treat it as a sacrament or 
testament ; or in Latin, blessing, in Greek, Eucharist ; or the 
Lord's table, or the Lord's Supper, or the remembrance of 
the Lord, or communion, or by whatever godly name you 
please, provided it be not polluted by the title of sacrifice or 
work, and we w411 indicate the rite according to which we 
think it ought to be used. 

THE INTROITS. 

First. The Introits of the Lord's days and at the festivals, 
namely, Easter, Pentecost, Nativity, we approve and retain, 
although we Avould prefer the Psalms, whence they have 
been taken, as formerly, but now we allow the accepted use. 
But if any wish to approve the Introits of the Apostles, the 
Virgin and other saints (since they have been taken from 
the Psalms and other Scriptures), I will not object. We at 
Wittenberg seek to keep Sabbath on Lord's days o^ily, and 
on festivals of the Lord. The festivals of all the saints we 
think ought to be entirely abolished, or if there be anything 
worthy in them, they ought to be connected with the ser- 
mons of the Lord's days. The feast of Purification and 
Annunciation we observe as feasts of Christ, as Epiphany 
and Circumcision. In place of the festival of St. Stephen 
and John the Evangelist, w^e like the office of the Nativity. 
Let the festivals of the Holy Cross be Anathema. Let 
others act with regard to their own conscience or the weak- 
ness of others, as the Spirit directs. 

THE KYRIE. 

Secondly. The Kyrie Eleison, as it has been employed 
hitherto with various melodies for the diflferent seasons, we 
retain, with the Angelic Hymn following: The Gloria in 
Excelsis. Yet it may be omitted as often as the pastor shall 
wish. 

COLLECT AND EPISTLE. 

Thirdly. The prayer or collect, provided it be godly (as 



i^uther's liturgical writings. 169 

those are generally which are said on the Lord's day), 
should hold its place, but let there be only one. After this 
the reading of the Epistle. The time has not yet come for 
any innovation here, since nothing impious is read. How- 
ever, since rarely those parts of Paul's Epistles are read in 
which faith is taught, but much rather those which are moral 
and hortatory, the person who arranged the Epistles seems 
to have been a remarkably unlearned and superstitious pro- 
moter of works. Duty required that for the most part, those 
should be arranged in which is taught faith in Christ. This 
certainly is observed more frequently in the Gospels, who- 
ever was the author of those lessons. But meanwhile, 
preaching in the vernacular will supply this. If it should 
turn out that Mass should be celebrated in the vernacular 
(which may Christ grant), care must be taken to have the 
Epistles and Gospels read in their best and most important 
parts. 

THE GRADUAL AND HALLELUIAH. 

Fourth. The gradual of two verses, together with the 
Halleluiah, or either, as the pastor pleases, may be sung. 
Furthermore the graduals for Lent and the like which ex- 
ceed two verses, any one may sing at his own home. We 
are not willing that the spirit of the faithful shall be extin- 
guished by fatigue. It is not right to distinguish Lent and 
Holy Week or Good Friday by rites which differ from those 
of other festivals, lest we should appear to wish still further 
to mock and banter Christ with a half Mass or a part of the 
sacrament. For the Halleluiah is a perpetual voice of the 
Church, as it is a perpetual memory of her passion and vic- 
tory. 

SEQUENCES. 

Fifth. We admit no sequences and proses, unless the brief 
one on the nativity of Christ, Grates nunc omnes, be desired 
by the pastor; nor in general those which refer to the Spirit, 
except those about the Holy Spirit ; Sancti Spiritus and 



170 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Veni Sancte Spiritus. These may be chanted either after 
dinner or at vespers, or during Mass if the pastor desire. 

THE GOSPEL AND THE CREED. 

Sixth. The reading of the Gospel comes next, in which 
we prohibit neither candles nor incense, neither do we re- 
quire them. Let that be free. 

Seventh. The chanting of the Nicene Creed, as the cus- 
tom is, does not displease us ; nevertheless, this also is in the 
hands of the pastor. We have the same view in regard to 
preaching in the vernacular : It makes no difference whether 
it take place here after the Creed, or before the introduction 
of the Mass ; although as the Gospel is a voice crying in the 
wilderness and calling the unbelieving to faith, there is a 
reason why it should rather take place before the Mass. But 
the Mass is the use of the Gospel and the communion of the 
Lord's table, which belongs to the believers, and ought to 
take place in private. Nevertheless, that reason does not 
bind us who are free, especially since all things that are 
done, up to the Creed in the Mass, are ours and are free, and 
are not required of God. Hence they do not belong neces- 
sarily to the Mass. 

THE OFFERTORY. 

Eighth. That entire abomination to which everything that 
preceded in the Mass has been made subservient, follows; 
whence it is also called offertory, and hence almost all 
sounds and smells of oblation. In the midst of these things 
have been placed those words^of life and salvation, just as 
formerly the ark of the Lord was placed in the temple of 
idols alongside of Dagon. Nor is there any Israelite who 
can either approach or bring back the ark until it itself has 
branded the backs of its enemies with eternal shame, and 
compelled them to put it down, which is a parable for the 
present time. Then, rejecting all those things which sound 
of oblation, together with the entire Canon, let us retain 



IvUTHKR'S I.ITURGICAI. WRITINGS. 171 

such things as are pure and holy, and so let us order our 
Mass. 

THE PREPARATION OF THE ELEMENTS. 

1. During the Creed or after the Canon, * let the bread 
and wine be prepared for the blessing by the accustomed 
rite. I have not yet decided whether or not water should be 
mixed with the wine, although I am inclined to have pure 
wine prepared without mixing it with water, since the ex- 
pression given in the first chapter of Isaiah restrains me: 
Your wine, he says, is mixed with water. Pure wine beauti- 
fully represents the purity of evangelical doctrine. Besides, 
only the blood of Christ alone, whom we there commemor- 
ate unmixed with our own, was shed for us. Nor can the 
dream of those stand, who say that there our union with 
Christ is figuratively represented and that we do not here 
make remembrance of this union. Neither are we united 
before the shedding of Christ's blood, otherwise our blood 
shed for ourselves would be celebrated together with the 
blood of Christ. Yet I will not introduce a superstitious 
law in opposition to Christian liberty. Christ will care but 
little about such things, nor is the matter worthy of conten- 
tion. This foolish controversy and many others have been 
sufficiently indulged in by the Roman and Greek Churches. 
The argument that water and blood flowed from the side of 
Christ proves nothing. That water does not mean what 
they wish to be meant by this mixing with water, neither 
was that mixed with the blood. Moreover, the figure does 
not prove anything. The illustration does not avail. 
Wherefore as a human contrivance let it be regarded as a 
matter of liberty. 

THE PREFACE. 

2. When the bread and wine have been prepared, let the 
following be the order : The Lord be with you. Response : 
And with thy Spirit. Lift up your hearts. Response : It 

* The Jena edition has : " after the Sermon," which is probably the 
true reading, since the Canon is abolished. 



172 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

is meet and just. It is truly meet and just, right and salu- 
tary, that we always and everywhere give thanks unto thee, 
Holy God, Father Omnipotent, Eternal God, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Then 

THE CONSECRATION. 

3. On the day before he suffered, he took bread, gave 
thanks, brake and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take,, 
eat, this is my body which is given for you. Likewise, also,, 
the cup after he had supped, saying : This is the cup in the 
New Testament in my blood which is shed for you and for 
many, for the remission of sins. As oft as ye do this, ye do 
it in remembrance of me. 

After a brief pause after the Preface I wish these words 
of Christ to be said in the tone of voice in which the Lord's 
Prayer is said in the Canon, so that it may be heard by those 
present; although in all these things let pious souls have 
liberty to recite those words either silently or aloud. 

THE ELEVATION. 

4. When the consecration is completed, let the choir sing 
the Sanctus, and during the singing of the Benedictus, let 
the bread and cup be elevated, as hitherto has been done, on 
account of the weak who would be offended at a sudden 
change of this more prominent part of the service in the 
Mass, especially where they had been taught by sermons in 
the vernacular what is intended by such elevation. 

THE LORD^S PRAYER AND PAX. 

5. Then let the Lord's Prayer be read thus : Admonished 
by thy salutary precepts, let us pray, etc. Omit the prayer, 
'' Deliver us, we pray'' together with all the signs that are 
usually made over the host and with the host over the cup; 
neither is the host to be broken or dipped into the cup. 
But immediately after the Lord's Prayer say the Pax Dom- 
ini, etc., which is a public absolution of the communicants 
from sin, a voice truly evangelical announcing the remission 



i^uther's liturgicai. writings. 173 

of sins, the sole and most worthy preparation for the Lord's 
table, if it be apprehended by faith^ and not otherwise than 
if it proceeded out of the mouth of Christ. Hence, I wish it 
should be said with face turned toward the people, as is the 
custom of the pastors, which is the only vestige of the 
ancient pastors among our pastors. 

THE COMMUNION. 

6. Then let him administer the Communion to himself 
and to the people. Meanwhile let the Agnus Dei be sung. If 
he desire to pray before the Communion the prayer : " Lord 
Jesus Christ, thou Son of the living God, who, by the will of 
the Father," etc., he will not pray amiss, only it should be 
changed from the singular to the plural, ours and us for 
mine and me. Likewise the prayer : " The body of the 
Lord, etc., keep my soul and thine unto eternal life." 

THE CLOSING SERVICE. 

7. If there be a desire to chant the Communion, let it be 
chanted. But in the place of the final closing collect, which 
generally contains the idea of sacrifice, read in the same 
tone the prayer : '' What we have received with the mouth, 
O Lord." Also may be read the prayer: ''Thy body, O 
Lord, which we have received, etc., who livest and reignest," 
changing to the plural number. In place of the Ite Missa, 
let the Benedicamus Domino be said, together with the Alle- 
luia in its own melodies (where and when it pleases), or 
the Benedicamus may be adapted from those which belong 
to the vespers. 

8. Let the usual benediction be given, or use that in the 
sixth chapter of Numbers, which the Lord himself com- 
posed, saying: "The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the 
Lord make his face shine upon thee," etc. Or the ninety- 
sixth Psalm : " The Lord our God bless us, and let all the 
ends of the earth fear him. Amen." So I think Christ used 
it when ascending to heaven he blessed his disciples. 

It is also left free to the pastor to take or administer the 



174 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

two elements in whatever order he may wish. He may bless 
the bread and wine consecutively, before he takes the bread, 
or between the blessing of the bread and wine he may ad- 
minister the bread to himself and to as many as may wish 
it, and then give to all to drink, which order seems to have 
been employed by Christ, as the words of the Gospel indi- 
cate, since he commenced to eat the bread before he blessed 
the cup, and then it is said expressly : " Likewise also the 
cup when he had supped," so that you see the cup was 
blessed after the eating. But this very new rite will not 
allow these things to be done which we have hitherto men- 
tioned after the blessing, unless they also be changed. 

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IN RELATION TO FORMS OF WORSHIP, 

Such are our views in regard to the Mass, in all which 
things care must be taken lest we make a law out of liberty, 
or cause those to sin who either would do differently, or 
would omit certain things, provided they retain the words of 
blessing in their integrity, and act here with faith. For 
such ought to be the rites of Christians, that is, of the chil- 
dren of the free woman, who voluntarily and ex animo are 
to observe these things, prepared to change them whenever 
and in whatever manner they wish. Hence it is not proper 
for any one either to seek or to institute any necessary form 
as a law in this matter, by which he may ensnare or vex 
consciences. Wherefore even in the early fathers and even 
in the primitive Church we read of no form of this rite as 
fixed, except in the Roman Church. And if any should 
enact a law in this matter, the}^ are not to be obeyed, because 
these things neither can nor ought to be bound by laws. 

Again : Even if different persons do use diverse rites, let 
no one either judge or despise another, but let each one 
stand by his own opinion, and let us understand and think 
the same thing, even though we do different things, and let 
the rite of each please the other, lest diverse opinions and 
sects follow diversity of rites, as has occurred in the Roman 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAI. WRITINGS. 1 75 

Church. For external rites, even though we cannot do 
without them, as we cannot do without food and drink, 
nevertheless do not commend us to God. But faith and 
love do commend us to God. Hence the passage from Paul 
governs here : *' The Kingdom of Heaven is neither meat 
nor drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy 
Ghost." Thus no rite is the Kingdom of God, but faith 
within you, etc. 

VESTMENTS. 

We have passed by vestments. But in regard to these we 
think as we do in regard to other rites. We permit them to 
be used in liberty, provided pomp and luxury be absent. 
For neither are you more acceptable if you consecrate in 
vestments, nor less acceptable if you consecrate without vest- 
ments. For vestments do not commend us to God. But I 
do not want them to be consecrated or blessed as though 
they are sacred as compared to other vestments, except by 
that general consecration by which it is taught that every 
good creature of God is sanctified; otherwise it is a mere 
superstition and impiety, introduced by spiritual abomina- 
tion, as also other things. 

THE COMMUNION OF THE PEOPLE. 

Thus have we spoken in regard to the Mass and the office 
of the minister or pastor. Now we will speak of the mode 
of administering the Communion to the people, for whose 
sake especially the Supper of the Lord was instituted and is 
called by that name (Communion). For as it is extremely 
absurd for the minister of the Word to become so silly as to 
preach the Word publicly when there are no hearers, and 
declaim to himself only amid the rocks and trees or under 
the open sky, so it is most perverse for ministers to prepare 
and furnish the Lord's Supper in public where there are no 
guests to eat and drink, and where only they who ought to 
minister to others, eat and drink at an empty table, or in an 
empty hall. Hence, if we wish to consider the institution 



176 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

of Christ properly, no private Mass ought to be left in the 
Church, unless it be that infirmity be tolerated for the time. 

THE EXAMINATION OF COMMUNICANTS. 

Here the custom ought to be preserved which is observed 
in baptism, namely, that it should be made known to the 
pastor who are going to commune, that they themselves 
seek to have the Lord's Supper administered to them, in 
order that he may learn their names and manner of life, and 
that he may not admit those making request unless they can 
give a reason for their faith, and when questioned show by 
their answers, whether they know what the Lord's Supper 
is, what it offers, and what use they wish to make of it. For 
instance, if they can recite from memory the words of bless- 
ing, and show that they come because being harassed by 
the consciousness of sin, or by the fear of death, or by any 
other temptation of the flesh, the world and the devil, they 
desire to eat and drink the word and sign of grace and sal- 
vation from the Lord himself through the ministry of the 
pastor, by which ministry they are consoled and comforted, 
as with unspeakable love Christ instituted and appointed in 
this Supper, when he said, '' Take and eat," etc. But I 
think it suffices for this inquiry or examination, if it occur 
once a year with the person who seeks to commune. The 
person will not be so intelligent who seeks to be examined 
only once in a whole lifetime, or indeed, never. By this 
custom we seek to prevent the worthy and the unworthy 
from rushing to the Lord's Supper, as we have hitherto seen 
done in the Roman Church, where nothing was sought ex- 
cept the Communion, and where absolutely there was no 
thought or mention of faith, consolation and the whole use 
and fruit of the Supper. They also concealed the very 
words of blessing, that is, the very bread of life, doing it 
with great zeal, yea, with perfect fury, in order that the 
communicants might work a good work by their own worth, 
and not nourish and strengthen faith by the merit of Christ. 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAL WRITINGS. 1 77 

But those who cannot respond according to what has been 
said above, we wish to be entirely excluded from participa- 
tion in this Supper, as not having on the wedding garment. 
Then, when the pastor shall have seen that they under- 
stand all these things, he will also observe whether in life 
and character they approve such faith and knowledge, for 
Satan also knows and can speak of all these things. That 
is, if he (the pastor) shall see any whoremonger, adulterer, 
drunkard, gambler, usurer, slanderer, or a person notorious 
on account of any crime, let him exclude such an one abso- 
lutely from this Supper, unless it be seen by clear proof that 
he has changed his life. To those who sometime lapse and 
return and grieve over their sin, this Supper ought not to 
be denied. Yea, we ought to know that the Supper was es- 
pecially instituted for just such, that they might be restored 
and strengthened ; for in many things we all offend, and we 
bear one another's burdens while we also mutually burden 
ourselves ; for I am speaking of those contemptuous persons 
who sin shamelessly and without fear, and yet boast great 
things about the Gospel. 

THE CELEBRATION. 

When the Mass is celebrated, it is proper that the com- 
municants stand together at one place. To this end were the 
altar and the chancel devised. But as regards God or the in- 
crease of faith, standing here or there makes no difference ; 
but it is important that they be seen and known both by those 
who commune, and by those who do not commune, in order 
that their lives may better be seen and tested and made 
known. For the communion of this Supper is a part of the 
confession by which publicly before God, angels and men, 
they confess that they are Christians. Hence care must be 
taken that they do not steal the Supper secretly, and then 
that it be not known whether they live well or ill. Although 
I do not wish to set up a law here, but only to show what, as 
honorable and proper, is to be voluntarily done by Christians 
who are free. 

12 



178 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

THE PREPARATION. 

Of private confession before Communion, I hold as I have 
hitherto taught, that it is not necessary nor to be exacted^ 
though it is useful and is not to be contemned, since not even 
the Supper did the Lord require as necessary, or establish 
by lav^, but left it free to every one, saying : ''As often as 
ye do this." 

Thus, in regard to the preparation for this Supper, we 
hold that preparation by fasting and prayers is a matter of 
liberty. But it behooves to be sober, earnest and diligent, 
even though you do not fast at all, or pray but little. But I 
do not mean that superstitious sobriety of the Papists, but 
that you do not eat and drink until you become stupid. But 
the best preparation (as I have said) is a soul agitated by 
sins, death, temptations, hungering and thirsting for con- 
solation and strength. But these things are in the hands of 
the pastor for the instruction of the people. 

COMMUNION UNDER BOTH FORMS. 

It now remains to inquire whether both forms, as they 
say, should be administered to the people. I have this to 
say : Since the Gospel has been preached among us now for 
two full years, sufficient concession has been made to infirm- 
ity. Hence we must act in accordance with the word of 
Paul: '' He that is ignorant, let him be ignorant." For it 
does not make any difference, if they receive neither species,, 
who for so long a time have been ignorant of the Gospel, 
lest constant tolerance of infirmity nourish obstinacy and 
make objection to the Gospel. Hence in a simple manner, 
according to the institution of Christ, let each species be 
sought and administered, li any do not wish it thus, let 
them go, and let nothing be administered to them; for we 
have pointed out this form of the Mass to those to whom 
the Gospel has been preached, and by whom it is in part 
known. A provision of this kind cannot be made for those 
who have not yet heard nor been able to understand the 
Gospel. 



LUTHER'S I.ITURGICAI. WRITINGS. 1 79 

Nor ought any one to delay until a Council can be called, 
in which it can be again sanctioned as lawful. We have the 
law of Christ, and we wish neither to await nor to hear 
Councils in these things which manifestly belong to the 
Gospel. Nay more, we say, even if a Council should enact 
and permit it, then least of all would we wish to have both 
forms, yea, then in contempt of the Council and of its stat- 
ute. We would wish to have one of the two or neither. Do 
you wonder and inquire the reason? Hear. If you know 
that bread and wine have been instituted by Christ, and that 
both are to be received by all (as the Gospels and Paul most 
clearly testify, and as the adversaries themselves are com- 
pelled to confess), and you do not dare to believe and trust 
Him so as to take them, but dare to take them if men should 
decree it, do you not prefer men to Christ? Do you not 
exalt sinful men above God who is named and worshiped? 
Do you not put more confidence in the words of men than 
in the words of God? Yea, do you not indeed distrust the 
words of God, and trust the words of men only? What 
idolatry can be equal to such religious obedience to the 
Councils of men? Would you not better die a thousand 
times? Would you not better accept one or neither form,, 
than to accept it with such sacrilegious obedience and apos- 
tasy from the faith ? Let them cease to boast of their Coun- 
cils. Let them first restore what has been sacrilegiously 
taken from the divine glory. Let them confess that it was. 
under the dominion of Satan that they prohibited one 
species, that they elevated themselves above God, that they 
condemned his Word and for ages destroyed so many 
people. Let them repent of this tyranny of unspeakable 
cruelty and impiety, and let them acknowledge that we do 
right in teaching and taking one species even against their 
dogmas, and in not waiting for their Council. Let them 
give thanks that we have declined to follow their perdition 
and abomination. 

When they shall have done this, we will freely and readily 



l8o CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

honor and embrace their Council and statute. Meanwhile if 
they do not do this, but continue to demand that we wait for 
their authority, we give no heed, but go on teaching and 
doing things contrary to them, and that in such a way as we 
know displeases them most. For in this diabolical demand, 
what do they demand except that we exalt them above God, 
their words above the words of God, and that we put the 
portraits of their masks as idols in the place of God, while 
we wish the whole world to become obedient to God. 

VERNACULAR HYMNS. 

I also wish as many hymns as possible in the vernacular, 
which the people can sing during the Mass, either with the 
graduals or with the Sanctus and Agnus Dei; for who 
doubts that formerly those were sung by all the people which 
now only the choir sings or responds to the pastor when 
consecrating. Such hymns might be arranged by the pastor 
so that immediately after the Latin hymns, or on alternate 
days, Latin and vernacular hymns might be sung until the 
whole Mass becomes vernacular. 

But we lack poets, or they are not yet known, who can 
compose for us godly, spiritual hymns (as Paul calls them), 
which are worthy to be used frequently in the Church of 
God. Meanwhile we may sing after the Communion the 
hymn: Gott sey gelobet und gebenedeiet der uns selber hat 
gespeiset, etc., omitting the clause: Und das heylige sacra- 
mente, an unserm letzten ende uns des geweynten priesters 
hende, which was added by some worshiper of St. Barbara, 
who all his life esteeming the sacrament of little value, in 
death hoped by this good work to enter into life without 
faith. For both the measure and nature of the music prove 
it to be superfluous. Besides this one, Nun bitten wir den 
heiligen Geist, and also Ein kindlein so lobelich, may be 
serviceable. For 3^ou do not find many which savor of a 
grave spirit. This I say, that if there be any German poets, 
they may be stimulated and may prepare godly poems for us. 



I^UTHER'S I.ITURGICAI. WRITINGS. l8l 

Enough has now been said for the present about the Mass 
and Communion. Use and experience will teach the rest, 
provided the Word of God be earnestly and faithfully 
preached in the Church, for we are not much influenced by 
the desire of some that all these things be proved by the 
Scriptures and the writings of the, fathers, for already we 
have said that in these things liberty ought to reign, and that 
neither by laws nor commands is it right to take captive 
Christian consciences. Hence, even the Scriptures define 
none of these things, but allow liberty of spirit to abound in 
its own sense, and according to the circumstances of places, 
times and persons. In part the practices of the fathers are 
unknown, and those that are known are so varied, that noth- 
ing certain can be determined, because they used their own 
liberty. And even if they were most certain and simple, 
they could impose upon us neither law nor necessity of imi- 
tation. 

Mx\TINS AND VESPERS. 

In the other days, which we call festivals, I see nothing 
which may not be tolerated, provided the Masses be abol- 
ished. For matins of three lessons, and the hours, also 
vespers and completorium de tempore (the festivals of the 
saints excepted), are nothing but the words of the Holy 
Scripture. And it is proper, yea necessary, to accustom 
children to read and hear Psalms and lessons of the Holy 
vScriptures. But if anything ought to be revised here, pro- 
lixity may be removed by the judgment of the pastor, so 
that three Psalms at matins and three at vespers, with one 
or two responsories, may be employed. These things are best 
arranged by the judgment of the pastor, whose duty it is to 
select the best responsories and antiphons, and to arrange 
them through the week, from Lord's day to Lord's day, so 
that neither by excessive repetition of the same, nor by 
excessive variety and amount of singing and lessons, dis- 
gust and weariness of spirit may be reproduced. But let 
the entire Psalter, distributed into parts, remain in use, and 



1 82 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

let the entire Scripture, divided into lessons, remain in the 
ears of the Church. Here, again, that the singing may not 
be merely spoken with the tongue, or rather without sense, 
as the sound of a reed or a harp, I must do what I have done 
elsewhere. Therefore, daily lessons must be appointed, one 
for the morning in the New or Old Testament, another for 
the evening in the Old Testament, with explanation in the 
vernacular. That this custom is old is proved both by the 
thing itself and by the word homily in the matins, and by 
capitulum in the vespers and hours, viz., that Christians, 
whenever they came together, read something and inter- 
preted it in the vernacular, as described by Paul in i Cor. 
xiv. 

Afterwards, when the times became corrupt, and prophets 
and interpreters were wanting, the only voice left after the 
lessons and the capitula, was the Deo Gratias. Then in 
place of interpretation are many lessons. Psalms, hymns 
and other things in wearisome prolixity, although the hymns 
and the Te Deum Laudamus testify by the Deo Gratias after 
the interpretations and homilies that they praised God and 
gave thanks for the revealed truth of God's Word. Such 
also I would wish our vernacular singing to be. 

So much have I to write to you, most excellent Nicholas, 
about the rites and ceremonies of our church at Wittenberg 
in part instituted already, and soon to be completed (Christ 
willing). A copy of this you and others can follow, if it 
pleases you, as we are prepared to accept from you or any 
others things better adapted. 

Nor let it deter you or others that in our Wittenberg that 
sacrilegious Tophet still exists, the source of impious and ac- 
cursed gain to the princes of Saxony — I mean the Church of 
All Saints. For by God's mercy we have a sufficient anti- 
dote through the abundant Word of God, as that pestilence 
languishing in its own corner is a pestilence only to itself. 
In a word, not more than three or four swine and gluttons 
are in that house of perdition, who devote themselves to 



i^uther's liturgicai. writings. 183 

money. To all others, and to all the people, they are a great 
nausea and abomination. Yet it is not right to attack them 
by violence or command, as you know that Christians ought 
to fight only with the power of the sword of the Spirit. 
Thus I restrain the people every day, otherwise ere this that 
house of All Saints, yea, of all devils, would be known by 
another name in the world. 

But T do not exercise against it the power of the Spirit 
which God has given us. I patiently bear the disgrace, if 
God may give them repentance, content meanwhile, that our 
house, which is really the house of all saints, may rule here, 
and stand as a tower of Lebanon against the house of all 
devils. Thus we torment Satan with the Word, although he 
affects to laugh. But Christ will grant that his expectation 
shall deceive him, and he shall go down in the sight of all. 

Pray for me, thou holy man of God. Grace be with you 
and all yours. Amen. MDXXIII. 



The Formula Missae is simply a revision of the ritual of 
the Mass. " Everything is omitted which characterizes the 
Mass as a priestly act of sacrifice, also the whole preparatory 
service of the priest, and the canon of the Mass, for the 
Mass must be the application and appropriation of the Gos- 
pel, and the administration of the sacrament, which belongs 
to believers only; hence, a service of the congregation and 
a Supper of the Lord."* 

The following words of Alt furnish an excellent transi- 
tion to Luther's third great liturgical writing: 

" This Formula Missae clearly indicates how far the papal 
order of Mass may be used for a time in the evangelical 
divine service. This was demonstrated by the German 
Mass published three years later (1526), which is less de- 
pendent upon the papal ritual, is distinguished by greater 
simplicity, and brings forward the proper character of a 
divine service ordered according to evangelical Lutheran 

♦Koestlin, p. 172. 



1 84 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

principles; although, as Luther himself observes, even this, 
as likewise the earlier form of divine service, was instituted 
for simple-minded lay people, to train up the young, to call 
and incite people to faith, until Christians, who regard the 
Word with sincerity, find themselves at home in it, and hold 
fast to it. Should this come to pass, he hoped then for the 
introduction of a third service, which he did not present, 
but sufficiently explained by indications, and which Count 
Zinzendorf confessedly followed as a guide in setting forth 
a service for the Moravians. But in the liturgies of the 
churches of Lutheran countries, one or the other of Luther's 
two orders was taken as the basis — the Formula Missae 
where there was the greater attachment (Anhanglichkeit) 
to the papal ritual ; the German Mass, where there was the 
greater independence. In this latter the order of the divine 
service was set forth by Luther in the following manner."* 

in. 

GERMAN MASS AND ORDER OF DIVINE SERVICE. 

[At the close of the year 1521, Karlstadt undertook to 
introduce an evangelical Mass at Wittenberg, as it had been 
instituted by Christ, and to hold the service in the German 
language. t The effort failed, partly because the times were 
not yet ripe for a change, and partly because the methods 
were too radical. On the twenty-ninth of October, 1525, 
worship was conducted at Wittenberg in the vernacular, J 
and at the following Christmas the vernacular was intro- 
duced permanently into worship. It is altogether probable 
that the German Mass, which in the oldest editions bears 
date 1526, w^as written, in part at least, already in I525,§ if 
not printed. It is Luther's most important liturgical writ- 
ing, and gains its importance chiefly from the fact that still 
more clearly than the Formula Missae, it expounds the great 

* Der Christliche Cultus, p. 243. 

t Corpus Ref., I., pp. 540, 554. 

t De Wette, III., pp. 36, 78. 

§De Wette, III., p. 36. Seckendorf, IL, p. 6, VIII., XX. 



1.UTHKR'S I.ITURGICAL WRITINGS. 185, 

principles of evangelical worship, and, as the German writ- 
ers particularly observe, brings the sermon to its proper 
place as the principal factor in evangelical divine worship. 
The translation now given has been made from the Er- 
langen Edition (Vol. XXIL, p. 226, et seq.), of Luther's 
Works. The Leipsic Edition was consulted.] 

PREFACE. 

Before all things I kindly beseech, even for God's sake, 
all those who desire to see or follow this our order in divine 
service, that they, by no means, make a necessary law out 
of it, nor entangle or bind any one's conscience therewith; 
but that in accordance with Christian freedom they use their 
pleasure, how, where and when, and how long the circum- 
stances suit or demand it. For we also do not publish it 
with the intention to control any one therein, or to rule with 
laws, but because everywhere the German Mass and divine 
service are insisted upon, and great complaint and scandal 
exist concerning the manifold forms of the new Masses. 
Every one makes his own, some with good intention, some 
also from forwardness, that they also may bring something 
new into vogue, and shine among others, and not be bad 
workmen. Thus it everywhere turns out with Christian 
liberty, that few use it otherwise than to their own pleasure 
or advantage, and not to the glory of God and the good of 
his neighbor. 

But although it rests upon every one's conscience how he 
uses such liberty (and no one is to hinder or forbid the 
same), yet it should be seen to, that his liberty is and shall 
be .the servant of charity and of one's neighbor. Wherever 
it, therefore, happens that men take offense or go astray 
because of such various usage, we are truly bound to restrict 
liberty, and as far as it is possible, to labor and to forbear, 
in order that people may be made better and not be offended 
in us. Since, therefore, there is nothing in this external 
service involving our conscience before God, and yet it may 



1 86 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

be made useful to our neighbor, we should in love, as Paul 
teaches, endeavor to be of one mind, and in the best way 
possible to be of like forms and ceremonies, just as all Chris- 
tians have one baptism, one sacrament, and to no person is 
^iven of God a special one. 

Yet I will not ask those who already have their good 
order of service, or who through God's grace can make a 
better one, to let it go and yield to us. For it is not my in- 
tention, that all Germany should accept precisely our Wit- 
tenberg order. It has indeed never been in the past that the 
endowed institutions, cloisters, and parishes were the same 
in all points ; but it would be excellent if in every principality 
divine service were conducted in the same form, and the sur- 
rounding towns and villages directly shared with a city: 
whether those in other provinces also held the same, or 
added something special thereto, should be free and uncen- 
sured. For, in short, we institute such orders not for the 
sake of those who already are Christians. For they need 
none of these things, for which also one does not live; but 
they live for the sake of us, who are not Christians, that 
they may make us Christians, for these have their worship 
in spirit. 

But we must have such order of service for the sake of 
those who are yet to become Christians or to become 
stronger, just as a Christian does not need baptism, the 
Word and sacraments as a Christian (for he already has all 
things), but as a sinner. But most of all it is done on ac- 
count of the simple and the young, who are to be and must 
be exercised daily and educated in the Scripture and God's 
Word, that accustomed to Scripture they may become skill- 
ful, fluent and versed therein, in order to represent their 
faith, and in the course of time to instruct others and help 
to increase the kingdom of Christ : for the sake of such must 
we read, sing, preach, write and poetize, and if it would be 
helpful and advantageous thereto, I would let all the bells 
ring, and all the organs play, and everything sound that can 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAL WRITINGS. 1 87 

sound. For papal worship is so damnable on this account, 
because they have made a law, work and merit out of it, 
and therewith suppressed faith, and have not directed the 
same to the young and the simple to exercise them therewith 
in the Scripture and God's Word, but have clung to it them- 
selves, and held it as useful and necessary to salvation. That 
is the devil: in which manner the ancients have neither 
ordered nor established it. 

But there is a threefold distinction in worship and the 
Mass. First a Latin order, which we have before published 
and which is called the Formula Missae. This I do not here- 
with wish to have abrogated or changed; but as we have 
hitherto observed it among us, so it shall be free to use the 
same, where and when we please or occasion requires ; for I 
in no way wish to banish the Latin language from divine 
siervice. For it concerns me to do everything for the young ; 
and if I were able, and the Greek and the Hebrew language 
were as familiar to us as the Latin, and had as much fine 
music and hymnology as the Latin has : then should Mass 
ibe celebrated, sung and read one Sunday after another in all 
four languages, German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. 

I do not at all agree with those who give themselves to 
•only one language and despise all others. For I should like 
to bring up such youth and people as could be of service to 
Christ also in foreign lands and speak with the people, so 
that it may not go with us as with the Waldenses in Bohe- 
mia, who have so confined their faith to their language, that 
they can not talk clearly and intelligently with any one, un- 
less he learn their language beforehand. But not so did the 
Holy Ghost in the beginning. He did not wait till all the 
world came to Jerusalem and learned Hebrew, but gave all 
kinds of tongues to the preaching-office, so that the Apostles 
could speak wherever they came. I prefer to follow this 
example ; and it is also proper to exercise the young in many 
languages : who knows how God may use them in the course 
of time? To this end also are schools established. 



158 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Secondly, there is the German Mass and divine service, of 
which we now treat, which are to be arranged on account of 
the uneducated laity. But these two forms * we must use 
in such a manner, that they be observed publicly in the 
Churches before all classes of people; among whom are 
many who have not yet believed or become Christians, and 
the majority stand there and gaze to see something new, 
just as if we were holding divine service among the Turks 
or heathen in an open public place or field. For there is yet 
no established and certain congregation, in which one could 
rule Christians according to the Gospel, but only a public 
incentive to faith and Christianity. 

But the third form, which the right kind of evangelical 
service should have, must not be celebrated so publicly 
before all sorts of people ; but those who mean to be Chris- 
tians in earnest, and to confess the Gospel with hand and 
mouth, must register their names and assemble somewhere 
in a house alone for prayer, to read, baptize, receive the sac- 
rament, and to perform other Christian works. In this ser- 
vice one could know, admonish, correct, expel, or excom- 
municate those who did not conduct themselves in a Chris- 
tian manner, according to the rule of Christ in the i8th 
chapter of Matthew. 

Here also a common alms might be laid upon Christians,, 
to be willingly given and distributed among the poor, ac- 
cording to the example of St. Paul in the 9th Chapter of II. 
Corinthians. Here there would be no need of much elabor- 
ate singing. Here also baptism and the sacrament might 
be celebrated in a short good form, and everything be di- 
rected to the Word, and to prayer, and to love. Here one 
should have a good short catechism on the Creed, Ten Com- 
mandments, and the Lord's Prayer. In brief, if we had the 
people and persons, who desired to be Christians in earnest, 
the order and form could soon be made. 

But I can not yet, nor do I like to order or establish such 

* That is, the Formula Missae and the German Mass. 



i^uther's liturgical writings. 189 

a congregation or assembly. For I have not yet the people 
and persons for it; and I do not see many who insist upon 
it. But if it comes to pass that I must do it, and am urged 
thereto, so that I can not with good conscience avoid it, then 
I shall gladly do my part and help to the best of my ability. 
Meanwhile I will only insist upon the aforesaid two orders, 
and help publicly among the people to promote, along with 
preaching, such a divine service, in order to exercise the 
young, and to call and incite others to faith, till Christians 
who love the Word in earnest, are found and continue stead- 
fast, so that the undertaking may not degenerate into a 
rabble, which would drive it out of my head. For we Ger- 
mans are a wild, rough, boisterous people, with whom noth- 
ing is heedlessly to be begun, unless the highest necessity 
compel it. 

Well, in God's name ! For the first thing, a good, simple, 
plain, easy catechism is necessary in German worship. But 
catechism means the instruction with which the heathen, 
who wished to become Christians, were taught and directed 
what they should believe, do, abstain from and know in 
Christianity ; hence the learners, who were received for such 
instruction and learned the faith before they were baptized, 
were called catechumens. This instruction or teaching I do 
not know how to arrange more simply or better than it has 
been arranged from the beginning of Christianity, and con- 
tinued up to the present time ; namely, the three parts : The 
Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. In 
these three parts is found simply and briefly almost all that 
a Christian needs to know. Because there is yet no special 
congregation, this instruction must be proceeded with in 
such a manner that it be preached in the pulpit at sundry 
times or daily, as necessity demands, and be repeated or 
read evenings and mornings at home to the children and 
servants, if they are to be made Christians. Not only in 
such a manner that they learn to repeat the words by heart, 
as has happened hitherto, but question them from article to 



190 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

article, and let them answer what each means and how they 
understand it. If one can not ask every thing at once, then 
take one article to-day and another to-morrow. For where 
the parents or guardians of youth will not, either themselves 
or through others, take this trouble with them, there no 
catechetical instruction will ever be successful, unless it 
comes to pass that a special congregation, as has been said, 
be organized. 

In this manner shall one question them: What do you 
pray? Answer: The Lord's Prayer. What does it mean 
when you say, " Our Father who art in heaven " ? Answer : 
That God is not an earthly, but a heavenly Father, who will 
make us rich and blessed in heaven. What is the meaning 
of '' Hallowed be thy name " ? Answer : That we should 
honor and regard his name, that it may not be reviled. How 
is it then dishonored and reviled ? Answer : When we, who- 
should be his children, lead unholy lives, and teach and be- 
lieve what is wrong. And so on, what is the meaning of 
God's kingdom, how it comes, what is God's will, what 
** daily bread " means. 

Thus also in the Creed : How do you believe ? Answer : 
I believe in God the Father. So throughout from article to 
article, according as there is time, one or two at a lesson. 
Thus, what is the meaning of believing in God the Father 
Almighty ? Answer : It means when the heart trusts in him 
entirely, and confidently relies upon him for all grace, favor, 
help, and consolation, in time and in eternity. What is the 
meaning of believing in Jesus Christ, his Son? Answer: It 
means that the heart believes that we all should have been 
eternally lost if Christ had not died for us. 

Thus one must ask also in the Ten Commandments, What 
does the First Commandment mean, the Second, the Third, 
and the others ? Such questions may be taken from our little 
Prayer Book, where the three parts are briefly explained ; or 
others may be made, until the heart contain the whole sum 
of Christian truth in two parts, as in two purses, which are 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAL WRITINGS. 191 

faith and love. The faith-purse has two pockets : in the one 
pocket is contained the article that we believe that we are 
altogether corrupt, sinful and condemned (Rom. v. 12, 
Psalm li. 7). In the other is contained the article that we 
all are redeemed through Jesus Christ from such corrupt, 
sinful and condemned condition (Rom. v. 18, John iii. 16). 
The love-purse also has two pockets : in the one is contained 
the article that we should serve and do good to every one, 
as Christ has done for us (Rom. xiii. 8). In the other is 
contained the article that w^e should gladly suffer and endure 
all kinds of evil (i John iii. 16). 

When now a child begins to comprehend such things, it 
should be accustomed to bring with it from preaching texts 
of Scripture, and to repeat them to its parents at table, as 
one was wont formerly to repeat Latin, and afterwards to 
put the texts into the purses and pockets, as one sticks pen- 
nies and groschen or florins into the pocket. As the faith 
purse is the gold purse, let this text go into the first pocket, 
Rom. V. 12: *' By one man sin entered into the world, and 
death by sin," and Psalm li. 5 : '' Behold, I was shapen in 
iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Those are 
two Rhenish florins in the pocket. In the other pocket 
should go the Hungarian florins, as this text, Rom. iv. 25: 
" Christ was delivered for our offenses and was raised again 
for our justification," likewise John i. 29: ''Behold the 
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." 
These would be two good Hungarian florins in the pocket. 

Let the love-purse be the silver purse. Into the first 
pocket go the texts concerning doing good, as Gal. v. 13: 
'' By love serve one another," and Matt. xxv. 40: "Inasmuch 
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, 
ye have done it unto me." These would be two silver gros- 
chen in the pocket. Into the other pocket should go this 
text, Matt. V. 11:*' Blessed are ye when men shall persecute 
you for my sake," and Heb. xii. 6: " For whom the Lord 
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he re- 
ceiveth." These would be two Saxon coins in the pocket. 



192 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

And let no man think himself too wise and despise such 
child's play. Christ, when he wished to draw men, was 
obliged to become man. If we are to draw children, then 
we must also become children with them. Would to God 
that such child's play were well carried on; in a short time 
we should see a great treasure of Christian people, and souls 
becoming rich in the Scripture and in the knowledge of God, 
till they would make more of these purses as Locos Com- 
munes and comprehend the entire Scriptures therein. Other- 
wise people daily attend preaching and go away again as 
they came. For they think it is of no value further than the 
time spent in hearing, no one thinks to learn or keep any 
thing thereof. Thus many a man hears preaching three, 
four years, and yet does not learn enough to explain one 
article of faith, as indeed I daily experience. There is 
enough written in books, but it is not sufficiently urged upon 
the heart. 

OF DIVINE SERVICE. 

Because in all worship the greatest and principal part is 
to preach and teach God's Word, we observe preaching and 
reading in the following manner : On the Lord's day or Sun- 
day we allow the usual Epistle and Gospel lessons to remain, 
and have three sermons. Early at five or six some Psalms 
are sung as at matins ; then one preaches on the Epistle for 
the day, mostly for the sake of servants, that they also may 
be cared for and hear God's Word, if they can not be at 
other sermons. Then an antiphon, and the Te Deum Laud- 
amus or the BenedicHis, with the Lord's Prayer, collects, 
and Benedicamus Domino. 

At the Mass at eight or nine one preaches on the Gospel 
which the season prescribes throughout the year. In the 
afternoon at vespers, before the Magnificat, one preaches on 
the Old Testament in regular order. But that we retain the 
Gospel and Epistle lessons divided according to the time of 
year, as has been customary hitherto, this is the reason : we 
find nothing particular to blame in such an arrangement. It 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAL WRITINGS. 1 93 

is SO done at Wittenberg at this time, since many are there 
who are to learn to preach where this distribution of the 
Epistles and Gospels still prevails and perhaps will remain. 
Because then we may be helpful to them therewith and serve 
them, without injury to ourselves, we allow it to go oh. But 
we do not wish to blame those who take up consecutively the 
entire books of the Evangelists. In this arrangement we 
think the laity have preaching and doctrine enough; but 
whoever desires more will find enough on other days, 
namely : 

On Monday and Tuesday early there is instruction in Ger- 
man on the Ten Commandments, Creed and Lord's Prayer, 
on baptism and the sacrament, so that these two days pre- 
serve and strengthen the catechism in its right understand- 
ing. But on Wednesday early a German lecture, to which 
the Gospel of Matthew is entirely devoted, so that the day 
shall be his own, because he is an excellent Evangelist to 
instruct the people, and describes the good Sermon of Christ 
delivered on the Mount, and insists much on the exercise of 
love and good works. 

But the Evangelist John, who teaches faith with peculiar 
power, has also his own day, Saturday afternoon at vespers, 
so that we thus keep in use two Evangelists, devoting to 
each one day of every week. On Thursday and Friday early 
in the morning, there are the day's lessons on the epistles 
of the Apostles, and on other parts of the New Testament. 
With this arrangement we have lessons and sermons enough 
provided for to keep God's Word in full swing, without the 
lecture in the University for the learned. 

To exercise the boys and pupils in the Bible, the following 
plan is used : Daily throughout the week, before the lesson 
of the day, they sing some Psalms in Latin, as was custom- 
ary hitherto at matins. For, as already said, we wish to 
keep the youth to the Latin tongue in the Bible and to exer- 
cise them therein. After the Psalms two or three of the 
boys, one after the other, read a chapter in Latin out of the 
13 



194 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

New Testament, according to its length. Afterwards 
another boy reads the same chapter in German, to exercise 
them and to benefit any layman who may be present and lis- 
tening. Then they proceed with an antiphon to the German 
lecture, of which we have spoken above. After the lecture 
the whole assembly sings a German song, then one silently 
says the Lord's Prayer ; then the pastor or chaplain repeats 
a collect, and the services close with the Benedicamus 
Domino, as usual. 

In like manner at vespers they sing some vesper Psalms, 
as they have been sung hitherto, also in Latin with an anti- 
phon, then a hymn, if one is at hand. Then they read again, 
two or three, one after another, a chapter or half chapter, 
according to length, in Latin, from the Old Testament. 
Then a boy reads the same chapter in German, then the 
Magnificat in Latin, with an antiphon or hymn, then the 
Lord's Prayer silently, and the collects with the Benedic- 
amus. This is the divine service daily through the week in 
towns where there are schools. 

SUNDAY FOR THE LAITY. 

We there allow priestly vestments, altar and lights still 
to remain, till they are no longer serviceable or it pleases us 
to change. But whoever wishes in this to proceed other- 
wise, we allow it to be done. But in the true Mass among 
real Christians the altar must not remain so, and the priest 
must always turn himself to the people, as without doubt 
Christ did at the Last Supper. Now, let that bide its time. 

But in the beginning we sing a spiritual song or a German 
Psalm in primo tono in the following manner : '' I will bless 
the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my 
mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the 
humble shall hear thereof and be glad," etc.* 

Then the Kyrie, also in the same tone, three times, and 

not nine times, as follows : 

* The rest of this 34th Psalm, set to notes in the original, is omitted in 
the translation. 



i^uther's uturgicai. writings. 195 

Lord, have mercy. 

Christ, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Then the priest reads a collect in F of the natural scale, 
in unisono, as follows : ''Almighty God, the protector of all 
who put their trust in thee, without whose grace we can do 
nothing that is pleasing unto thee, grant us richly of thy 
mercy, that through the influence of thy Spirit we may have 
right thoughts, and through thy power also accomplish 
them, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." 

Then the Epistle in octavo tono, that in unison with the 
collect it may remain at the same pitch. Thus writes the 
holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians : '' Let a man so ac- 
count of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of 
the mysteries of God," etc.* 

But he shall read the Epistle with his face turned to the 
people: but the collect with his face turned to the altar. 
After the Epistle a German hymn is sung, "' Nun bitten wir 
den heiligen Geist/' or some other, and that with the whole 
choir. Then he reads the Gospel in quinto tono, also with 
the face turned to the people. Thus writes St. John in his 
Gospel : ''And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent 
priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art 

thou?"t 

After the Gospel the entire congregation sings the Creed 
in German, " Wir glauben all an einen Gottf 

Then comes the sermon on the Gospel of the Sunday or 
festival. And it seems to me if we had the German postils 
throughout the year it would be best to arrange to read the 
postils of the day in whole or in part to the people : not alone 
for the sake of the preachers, who can not do any better, 
but also to guard against enthusiasts and sects ; as we see 
and trace in the homilies of the matins, that some such prac- 
tice has existed. Otherwise, whenever spiritual understand- 

*i Cor. iv. 1-5. In the original the entire passage, set to notes,, i? 
given by way of illustration. 

t John i. T9-28. See preceding note. 



196 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ing and the Spirit himself does not speak through the 
preachers, (to whom I will not here set a limit, the Spirit 
teaches to speak better than all postils and homilies,) it will 
finally come to pass that each one will preach as he pleases, 
and instead of the Gospel and its exposition men will preach 
again about blue ducks. For that is also one of the reasons 
why we retain the Epistles and Gospels as they stand ar- 
ranged in the postils, because there are few highly intelligent 
preachers who can mightily and usefully treat an entire 
Evangelist or other book. 

After the sermon shall follow an open paraphrase of the 
Lord's Prayer, and admonition to those who wish to partake 
of the sacrament, in the following or some better form : 

'' Dear friends of Christ, inasmuch as we are assembled 
in the name of the Lord, to receive his holy Testament, I ad- 
monish you first of all to lift up your hearts to God and pray 
with me the Lord's Prayer, as Christ our Lord has taught 
us, and graciously promised to hear us. 

" That God, our Father in heaven, would mercifully re- 
gard us his miserable children on earth, and grant us grace, 
that his holy name may be hallowed among us and in all the 
world through a pure, upright teaching of his Word, and 
through a life of fervent love. That he would graciously 
avert all false doctrine and evil living, whereby his worthy 
name is dishonored and blasphemed. 

" That also his kingdom may come and be extended, and 
all sinners, those blinded and ensnared by the devil, be 
brought to a knowledge of the true faith in Jesus Christ his 
Son, and the number of Christians be greatly increased. 

" That we also may be strengthened through his Spirit to 
do and suffer his will, and both in life and in death, in good 
and in evil, always to break, sacrifice and slay our will. 

" That he would also give us our daily bread, preserve us 
from avarice and care for the stomach, and grant us to look 
to him for all needed good. 

" That he would also forgive us our debts as we forgive 



i^uther's liturgical writings. 197 

our debtors, that our hearts may have a joyous conscience 
before him, and never be afraid or terrified on account of 
any sin. 

" That he would not lead us into temptation, but help us 
through his Spirit to subdue the flesh, to despise the world 
and its doings, and to overcome the devil with his wiles. 

**And lastly that he would deliver us from all evil, both 
bodily and spiritual, temporal and eternal. Let all who 
earnestly desire this, say from the heart, Amen, believing 
without any doubt that it is so, and that it is heard in heaven,. 
as Christ has promised us (Mark xi. 24): 'Whatsoever 
things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,, 
and ye shall have them.' Amen. 

*' I further admonish you in Christ, that you receive this 
Testament of Christ with true faith, and especially that you 
firmly and heartily embrace the words, in which Christ pre- 
sents us his body and blood for remission of sin. That you 
remember and render thanks for the infinite love which he 
has shown us, inasmuch as he has redeemed us through his 
blood from the wrath of God, sin, death, and hell, and that 
you then partake of his body and blood under this form of 
bread and wine, as a surety and pledge. Accordingly we 
will, in his name and according to his command through his 
own words, thus handle and use the Testament." 

But whether one wish to use such a paraphrase and ad- 
monition in the pulpit immediately after the sermon, or from' 
the altar, I leave free to each one's choice. It seems that 
the ancients have done this from the pulpit ; hence it is still 
customary to offer the general prayer from the pulpit or to 
pronounce the Lord's Prayer, but the admonition has become 
a public confession. For in this way the Lord's Prayer,, 
with a short explanation, would remain among the people,, 
and the Lord would be remembered at the Last Supper as 
he has commanded. 

But I beseech that one arrange the same paraphrase and' 
admonition conceptis sen praescriptis verbis, or in a particu- 



190 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

lar manner, for the sake of the people, in order that one may 
not arrange in one way to-day and another in a different way 
to-morrow, and each one show his art, to the confusion of 
the people, so that they cannot learn or retain anything. 
For this is done to instruct and guide the people ; therefore 
is it necessary that one here restrict liberty, and follow in 
such a paraphrase and admonition a single form, especially 
in the same church or congregation, if they will not, on ac- 
count of this liberty, follow another. 

Then follows the administration and consecration in the 
following manner : 

*' Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the night in which he was be- 
trayed, took bread ; and when he had given thanks, he broke 
it and gave it to his disciples, saying. Take, eat; this is my 
body, which is given for 3^ou ; this do in remembrance of me. 

''After the same manner, also, he took the cup, when he 
had supped, and when he had given thanks he gave it to 
them, saying. Drink ye all of it ; this cup is the New Testa- 
ment in my blood, which is shed for you, and for many, for 
the remission of sins; this do, as oft as ye drink it, in re- 
membrance of me." 

But it seems to me that it would be according to the Last 
Supper if the sacrament were administered immediately 
after the consecration of the bread, before one blesses the 
cup, for thus speak both Luke and Paul : "After the same 
manner, also, he took the cup, when he had supped," etc., 
and at the sam^ time sing the German Sanctiis, or the hymn 
Gott sei geloht, or the hymn of John Huss, Jesus Christiis 
ninser Heiland. After this bless the cup, and administer also 
the same, and sing what remains of the above songs, or the 
German Agnus Dei. And that every thing proceed orderly 
and modestly, not men and women, but the women after the 
men ; therefore also should they stand apart from each other 
in special places. But how one shall proceed with private 
confession I have elsewhere written enough, and one will 
find my views in the little Prayer Book. 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAL WRITINGS. 1 99 

The elevation of the host * we will not abolish but retain, 
for the reason that it well accords with the German Sanctus, 
and signifies that Christ has commanded us to remember 
him. For as the sacrament is bodily elevated, and yet the 
body and blood of Christ are- not seen, thus is he remem- 
bered and exalted through the word of preaching, and with 
the reception of the sacrament is known and highly honored ; 
and yet all is comprehended in faith, and it is not seen how 
Christ has given his body and blood for us, and still shows 
and offers the same for us before God, to obtain grace for 
us.f 

Then follows the collect with the benediction : " We thank 
thee, Almighty God, that thou hast refreshed us through 
this salutary gift, and we beseech thee that of thy mercy 
thou wouldst strengthen us thereby in faith toward thee, 
and in fervent love toward one another, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord, Amen." 

*' The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his 
face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord 
lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." 

So much with reference to daily worship and the teaching 
of God's Word, especially with the view to train the young 
and incite the simple. For those who out of curiosity and 
the desire of new things like to stand and gaze, will soon 

* He afterwards abolished this ceremony. In his Kurces Bekeiintniss 
vom Ahendmahl, 1544, he says: "But this is the only cause that we 
have allowed the elevation of the host to fall into disuse, because most 
of the churches have given it up, and we desire to be like them, and not 
to have a peculiar usage in a matter which in itself considered might, 
with freedom and without danger to conscience, continue or cease. 
Especially so, since I was inclined thereto [its abolition] from the be- 
ginning, and certainly would have done so earlier if Karlstadt had not 
made such a horrible sin out of it. For where it can take place without 
sin and danger, or without offense, it is excellent for the Church, even 
in external matters, which are indeed free, to have the same ceremonies, 
as they have the same Spirit, Word, faith, sacrament, etc. For this is 
becoming, and pleases every one." 

t Isaiah vi. 1-4, which is called the German Sanctus, is here given in 
the original, but omitted in the translation. 



200 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

become tired and annoyed with all this : as they have hitherto 
done also in the Latin service, since one has daily sung and 
read in the churches, and yet the churches have remained 
empty and desolate, and as they are already doing in the 
German service. Therefore it is best that such service be 
arranged for the young and the simple that perchance at- 
tend. With the rest neither law, nor service, nor admoni- 
tion, nor driving will help ; they are to be let alone, that they 
may freely and willingly omit in worship what they do reluc- 
tantly and unwillingly. Enforced service does not please 
God, and is vain and lost. 

But with the festivals, as Christmas, Easter, Pentecost,. 
Michaelmas, Purification of Mary, and the like, it must 
continue as hitherto in Latin, till we have enough German 
hymns for them. For this work is in its beginning, conse- 
quently not everything is ready that belongs to it; but that 
one may know how it should and can proceed in one form, 
so that wisdom and moderation be found for diverse forms. 

The fasts of Palm-day and Holy Week we allow to re- 
main ; not that we compel any one to fast, but that the Pas- 
sion and the Gospels, which are set for this time, should re- 
main; yet not in such a manner that one observe the black 
cloth over the altar, palm processions, covering pictures and 
other jugglery, or sing four Passions, or have to preach 
eight hours on good Friday on the Passion ; but Holy Week 
shall be like other weeks, except that one preach the Pas- 
sion one hour a day through the week, or as many days as 
may be desired, and those who desire may receive the sacra- 
ment. For among Christians everything in worship is to 
be done for the sake of the Word and sacraments. 

In short, this order and all others are to be used in such a 
manner that where an abuse is made of them, one may 
straightway abolish them, and make another; just as king 
Hezekiah broke to pieces and destroyed the brazen serpent, 
which God himself had commanded to be made, because the 
children of Israel made an abuse of the same. For the 



LUTHER'S LITURGICAL WRITINGS. 20I 

orders of service should serve for the increase of faith and 
love, and not to the injury of faith. When now they no 
longer do that, then are they already dead and useless, and 
are no longer valid; just as when a good coin is counter- 
feited, it is taken up and changed on account of the abuse; 
or as when new shoes become old and pinch, they are no 
longer worn, but thrown away and others bought. An order 
of service is an external thing; however good it may be, it 
can be abused. But then it is no longer an order, but a dis- 
order. Therefore no order stands and is valid in itself, as 
the papal orders have hitherto been esteemed; but the life, 
worth, power and virtue of all orders is the right use ; other- 
wise they are valueless and good for nothing. 

The Spirit and Grace of God be with us all. Amen ! 



It will be seen readily that the '' German Mass and Order 
of Divine Service "is simpler than the Formula Missae, and 
is much less dependent on the Mass Ritual. Undoubtedly 
it approximates more closely to Luther's ideal of a *' godly 
form for saying Mass (as they call it) and for administer- 
ing the communion." The subjoined judgment of Funk is 
just and discriminating: " The Formula Missae is a begin- 
ning of a new liturgy, and a norm of the Latin divine ser- 
vice; yet as regards the contents it is rather a one-sided 
Christian Mass-Canon in opposition to the idolatrous papis- 
tical Mass-Canon, in so far as its origin corresponds to that 
of the baptismal formula * already mentioned — a copy of an 
old, not of a free independent work in which the whole 
nature of the new beginning had been expressed. But such 
(new beginning) can and must the ' German Mass and 
Order of Divine Service ' be regarded, which appeared a 
little later. Li this many priestly hymns at the altar are 
omitted. A prayer and the Gospel open the service ; a hymn 
of the congregation preserves a devotional frame of mind. 
As compared with the Formula Missae, the sermon, the 

* The Taufbiichlein which Luther translated in 1523. 



202 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

chief part of the Lutheran worship, becomes more prom- 
inent. To it all the time is devoted which in the papal 
Church is taken up by the service of the altar. The service 
of the sacrament is brief and simple. 

" It would be quite an interesting question whether these 
liturgical works correspond to the ideas which the author 
had in regard to Christian worship. We will not express 
our opinion, since the comparison of both may be made by 
the attentive reader. But we hope that their brevity as in 
harmony with Christianity, and their pious dignity will have 
at all times the approbation of the true scholars and follow- 
ers of their author. The true always appears in the gar- 
ments of the simple, and in so far as the former is eternal, 
in so far does the latter approach the eternal ; yea, the more 
it receives from it. The liturgy of Luther, like all his direc- 
tions about external things, is presented with inimitable 
modesty, because he does not mean to make laws, but only 
to give good counsel. But without swearing by the words 
of the master because of too great attachment, the thought 
will press itself upon every one : Let him who wishes to do 
differently see that things be done in a more Christian, 
pious and eft'ective manner."* 

* Geist und Form, pp. 179, 180. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE PRINCIPLES OF EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 

In the Roman Catholic Church, as already shown, wor- 
ship has its centre in the sacrifice of the Mass, which is a real 
unbloody sacrifice of Christ for the sins of men. 

In the chief divine service the preaching of the Word is 
reduced to a minimum. The value of worship consists es- 
sentially in the completion of the divinely appointed service, 
which is marked by rigid uniformity of ceremonies. The 
worship is also priestly in character, and can just as well be 
performed in the absence of the congregation as in its pres- 
ence. Directly opposed to this is the evangelical conception 
of worship. Christ once crucified is the sole mediator be- 
tween God and men, is the one only exclusive meritorious 
cause of salvation. This truth is the objective factor in 
divine worship. Faith which appropriates this truth is the 
one sole subjective condition of acceptable worship. But as 
faith is a personal act, and as it depends upon the individ- 
ual's heart-relations to God, there is no need of and no place 
for a mediating priesthood. The individual's worship, and 
the blessing which accrues to the individual from worship, 
depends upon his faith and his intelligent appropriation of 
the objective in worship. That is, the truth set forth in 
Word and sacrament must be met by the faith of the indi- 
vidual ; and in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, that 
really is divine worship which is a service of the congrega- 
tion, a realizing and witnessing of the faith which pulsates in 
the heart of individuals — an act of the general priesthood of 
believers. Over against the performance, the opus operatum 
of Roman Catholic worship, stands faith in evangelical wor- 
ship. True worship must proceed from faith, and must be 

(203) 



204 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the expression of faith in the objective truth. Hence, as 
Koesthn says : '' The objective or material truth of worship 
does not consist in rigid conformity to the norm of a divine 
appointment, but in the agreement of all the acts with the 
content and spirit of the Gospel ; not in the formal liturgical 
correctness, but in the evangelical purity and truthfulness of 
the content. Whatever forms it uses, it dare not employ 
anything which does not correspond to, or which opposes 
the truth of the Gospel ; and it places in the foreground as 
constitutive factors those acts which in the strictest sense are 
the expression of the declaration of salvation and the sealing 
of the same, viz., the Word and the sacrament. 

" These two fundamental principles, that of subjective 
truth, according to which worship is constituted, not so 
much by an express divine appointment, as much rather by 
the activity of the believing subject, and that of objective 
truth, according to which worship should be nothing else 
than a genuine expression and bearer of the evangelical de- 
claration of salvation — these principles are common to all 
evangelical churches. 

'' But a difference arises through a diverse conceiving of 
the principle of objective truth." * 

It is not the purpose of this chapter to discuss the differ- 
ence of which Koestlin makes mention, but to present a full 
and comprehensive statement of the principles of evangelical 
Lutheran worship, chiefly as they found expression in the 
authorized orders of worship of the sixteenth century, that 
great period which must be studied in its original documents 
by all who would gain a safe and profitable knowledge of the 
principles, doctrines and practices of the Evangelical Church. 

I. In opposition to the Roman Catholic conception that 
the Mass is the chief thing and the centre of divine worship, 
the Lutheran Church introduced preaching and teaching of 
the divine Word as the chief thing and centre. Luther ex- 
pressly declares that " Where God's word is not preached it 
were better neither to sing, nor to read, nor to assemble." 
* Geschichte, p. 143. 



PRINCIPLES OF EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 205 

In Opposition to the Roman Catholic conception that the 
Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice, the Lutheran Church main- 
tained that both the divine Word and the sacraments are 
means of grace, vehicles of grace, bearers of grace, through 
and by which God comes to the worshiping congregation 
and applies the redemption secured by Christ on the cross, 
according to the promise contained in Matthew xviii. 20: 
*' Where two or three are gathered together in my name, 
there am I in the midst of them," and according to the prom- 
ise found in Exodus xx. 24 : " In all places where I record 
my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." This 
is the objective principle of divine worship and its chief and 
most essential part, viz., the presence of the Lord with the 
congregation, and his activity through Word and sacrament. 
This principle is embodied in and is brought into promi- 
nence by the Lutheran orders of worship, " which," as Funk 
says, '' have for their purpose and essential thing that the 
pure doctrine of the divine Word shall he maintained as it is 
founded on the Holy Prophetical and Apostolic ivritings," 
p. 12. 

In the preface to the Brandenburg-Nuremberg Order it is 
•declared : " The high divine majesty, God the Father, Son 
and Holy Ghost, are present in the congregation of the 
Church, receive the praise and prayer of the Church, and 
treat with the Church by means of the divine Word and sac- 
rament, as Christ says : ' Where two or three are met to- 
gether in my name, there I am in the midst of them.' " 

And again : " These two, namely, preaching and the sac- 
raments, are the necessary parts of the Christian Church 
through which faith in Jesus Christ our Saviour is implanted 
by God through the Holy Ghost, and is strengthened; yea, 
through which true godliness and salvation are imparted and 
bestowed." 

Thus it becomes a fundamental principle that ordinarily 
^' the Holy Ghost does not give faith or his gifts without the 
preaching of the gospel of Christ, but through and with 



206 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

this oral Word he works and produces faith where and in 
whom he will." (Luther). (See also Augsburg Confession, 
Art. V.) But the " Gospel of Christ" is a comprehensive 
designation for all the means of grace : " When we speak of 
the Gospel, we understand thereby also baptism, the binding 
and loosing of the keys, the Lord's Supper, for these are 
none other than the powerful, living, active, visible, sensible 
preaching of the Gospel, instituted by Christ, the Lord, for 
our especial comfort and edification, that we might not only 
believe that what is preached about him is true, but that it is 
also ours, and that we have it ; for whosoever is baptized, to 
him it is signified both by words and acts that he personally 
has been united to Christ, in whom he has forgiveness of 
sins and eternal life." * 

Li close connection with this comprehensive definition of 
the Gospel, is the doctrine of the real efficiency of the Gos- 
pel in creating an assembly of believers, which in its faith 
and prayer and thanksgiving is the true subject of divine 
worship. In explaining Genesis xxviii. i6, Luther wrote: 
" The Church and congregation of God are wherever the 
Word of God is taught and heard, be it in Turkey, or in the 
Papacy, or even in Hell. For it is God's Word that creates 
the Church. That is lord over all places. In whatsoever 
place it is heard, where baptism, the sacrament of the altar 
and absolution are administered, there thou shalt be certain 
and conclude : Here surely is the house of God ; here heaven 
stands open. But as the Word of God is not bound to any 
place, so the Church of God is not bound to any place. It 
shall not be said, the pope is at Rome, therefore the Church 
is there. But where God speaks, there is the Church, there 
the kingdom of heaven is open." f Or as the same doctrine 
is expressed in the Revised Mecklenburg Liturgy (fol. 3) r 
" Wherever the piu'e Christian doctrine is preached, there 
surely is the Church of God; for God works effectively 

* Brandenburg-Nuremberg, fol. 18. 
t Erlangen, Latin, 7, p. 180. 



PRINCIPI.es of EVANGEUCAI. I.UTHERAN WORSHIP. 207 

through his Gospel, and in this assembly there are always 
some elect persons who will be saved." 

This then, to sum up, is the objective and primary princi- 
ple of Lutheran worship : The Lord assembles the Church 
by means of the Gospel; he offers grace to the congregation 
through the Gospel ; he actually imparts grace to each mem- 
ber of the congregation who is united to Christ' by a living 
faith. 

But this strong emphasizing of the Gospel leads naturally 
to the setting up of a clear distinction between the institu- 
tions of God and the appointments of men. In the Cour- 
land Liturgy (1570) we read what in similar words or in 
substance may be found in all the orders of worship : '' All 
Christians must be carefully taught at all times of the great 
difference there is between the ceremonies arranged by men 
for use in the Church, and the alone-saving Word of God 
and the holy sacraments ; for these two, namely, the Word of 
God and the tw^o sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, 
are the sole necessary means for our salvation, which with- 
out sin against conscience, and without unavoidable offence 
against the Church of God, neither can, nor should, nor may 
be perverted, changed, enlarged or diminished by angels or 
men. Wherefore Paul says distinctly, Gal. i., * If we, or an 
angel from heaven, preach unto you another Gospel, let him 
be accursed.' And in i Cor. xi., 'I have received of the 
Lord that wdiich also I deliver unto you.' He also mentions 
the institution of the Supper. Then he speaks distinctly of 
ceremonies, saying, ' And the rest will I set in order when I 
come.' " Funk sums up the consentient teaching of the old 
liturgies in these words : '' In all holy acts a definite and un- 
alterable distinction must be made between what has been 
instituted and enjoined in the Holy Scripture with express 
words, and what has been added by men. 

*' This distinction we must hold without wavering, as Paul 
also observed it, when he ( i Cor. ) repeats expressly what he 
had received of the Lord, and distino:uishes it from what he 



2o8 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

would set in order when he came. For the Christian Church 
was not founded by men, but by God himself, and fully pro- 
vided by him with the means for salvation, so that whoever 
changes anything by enlarging or diminishing opposes God 
in his work and errs, and would be lost (Gal. i.). Since the 
Holy Scripture, given by God himself, is the rule and norm 
of all Christian affairs, what it commands must be held and 
used in accordance with its institution and ordering. With 
regard to the institutions and arrangements introduced by 
men in the Church the case is altogether different, as the 
Lord himself, Matthew xv., and his Apostles, Col. ii., teach 
in regard to the institutions of men. These are not divine ap- 
pointments. The observance of them does not produce the 
grace of God, forgiveness of sins, peace of soul and eternal 
life. Much rather is their necessity entirely abolished by 
reason of the death of Christ. Hence when in the Church of 
Christ human institutions have been made for the congre- 
gational worship of God, it is done only in order that in the 
congregations, in the performance of holy acts, everything 
may be done decently and orderly, and for the good of the 
congregation, and that the effect of the divine means of 
grace may not be hindered through disorder." * 

II. Over against this objective principle of the Word and 
sacraments as real means of grace, stands the subjective 
principle, viz., the faith, devotion and self-surrender of the 
congregation, which express themselves by prayer, praise 
and thanksgiving in response to the Gospel. Luther says : 
" We come together at a time agreed upon, preach and hear 
God's Word, and bear before God our own and others' gen- 
eral and particular needs, and thus raise to heaven a strong, 
effective prayer with thanksgiving and praise for God's 
favor. This we know .is true worship and well-pleasing to 
God." 

This is the natural correlate of the objective principle. In 
proportion as the Lutheran Church laid strong emphasis on 

* Kirchenordnung, pp. 'j^, 77. 



PRINCIPLES OF KVANGKLICAL LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 209 

the use and character of the means of grace, so did she lay 
strong emphasis also on faith as the subjective principle of 
worship, or the service of prayer and praise which the con- 
gregation is to render for the grace bestowed. If this grace 
be none other than the full and complete salvation of the 
soul, aside from all human work or merit, then the response 
of the Christian feelings, sentiments and life must be full 
and strong, as great blessings call for great praise, and the 
praise must be rendered by the recipients of the blessing; that 
is, worship must be a service of the congregation in the per- 
sons of its individual members. 

Here again Lutheran worship is brought into sharp con- 
trast with Roman Catholic worship. The latter is almost 
exclusively a chanting of the clergy. The former is the 
Psalmody of the people. In Roman Catholic worship the 
individual is ignored. The presence of the congregation 
even is not necessary to the performance of the highest act 
of divine service. And where the congregation is present, 
almost the entire worship is performed by the clergy. Little 
or no provision is made in the chief service for the prayer, 
praise and thanksgiving of the people. In the subjective 
part of Lutheran worship all is different. The chief service 
opens with a hymn of invocation of the Holy Ghost, or with 
a Psalm or other spiritual song. The Creed is sung by the 
people. The Wittenberg liturgy (1559) says (fol. 93): 
" At the conclusion of the sermon the people shall be ad- 
monished to prayer and thanksgiving." And again (fol. 
97) : " After the sermon the litany shall be sung, or some 
Psalms, or other German spiritual songs." Similar injunc- 
tions are found in almost all the old orders of worship. The 
people are exhorted to take part in the worship. In order 
to make provision for this part of worship, Luther called 
upon his poetical and musical friends to compose hymns and 
suitable music. But when he found them slow to respond, 
being himself a poet and musician, he translated Psalms, 
and wrote hymns, and adapted them to music to be sung by 
14 



2IO CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the congregation. Thus already in 1524 appeared in Wit- 
tenberg, " EtHch ChristHch Lieder Lob-gesang und Psalm," 
containing eight hymns, four by Luther, three by Paul 
Speratus, and one by an unknown writer. It was a small 
beginning of a rich and powerful development which quickly 
spread over all Germany and diffused a taste for music 
throughout the nation. " From Luther's time the people 
sang. The Bible inspired their songs. Poetry received a 
new impulse. Li celebrating the praises of God, the people 
could not confine themselves to mere translation of ancient 
anthems. The souls of Luther and of several of his contem- 
poraries, elevated by their faith to thoughts the most sub- 
lime, excited to enthusiasm by the struggles and dangers by 
which the Church at its birth was unceasingly threatened, in- 
spired by the poetic genius of the Old Testament and by the 
faith of the New, ere long gave vent to their feelings in 
hymns, in which all .that is most heavenly in poetry and 
music was combined and blended." * 

It was in the interest of this subjective feature of worship 
and for its development that the Lutheran Church came to 
have a body of songs, hymns, chorals, anthems, chants, tunes 
and melodies, which in variet}^ richness, power and number, 
surpass those of all other Protestant Churches combined. 
They are the logical sequence of the fullness of her concep- 
tion of the Gospel as the expression of the free unlimited 
love of the heavenly Father. 

But though the Lutheran Church lays great stress on this- 
subjective principle of worship, yet she does not offer it as a 
meritorious service, but as a spiritual sacrifice, and as the 
first fruit of the faith and love which have been begotten by 
the Gospel. Says Kliefoth : '' Without exception all the 
Lutheran liturgies guard themselves at this point, as does the 
Lauenberg of 1585 : ' The papal error shall not be attached 
to such human ceremonies, as if it were in itself a special im- 
portant worship of God if a person should observe these 

* D'Aubignc's History of the Reformation. 



PRINCIPLES OF EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 211 

ceremonies appointed by men; or as if in and of themselves 
they should be works of perfection, which would have great 
consideration with God, and would be of much more value 
than the works which God himself has commanded in his 
law; or that a person should reckon that by such human 
ceremionies he could secure the peace of God, forgiveness of 
sins and salvation, and that not only for himself, but could 
also secure something over and above his own need, and 
turn it over to others for their salvation, or could even sell it 
for money.' " 

III. The public assembly of the Church must be an 
orderly and decent gathering, to the end that it may proper- 
ly hear the Word and offer praise, prayer and adoration. 

Whatever, in time, place and forms of service, will con- 
tribute to bring the Word and sacraments to the centre, and 
to give them their proper objective position and true re- 
lation, may and ought to be used. 

I. Worship should be held at a time agreed upon by pas- 
tor and people. This is implied in the very idea that wor- 
ship is an act of the congregation, and not a service of the 
priest. 

The preference of the individual must be accommodated 
to the choice of the community. This principle applies not 
only to the hours for worship on the Lord's day, which is 
the chief day for worship, but also to such other times and 
seasons as may be deemed appropriate for bringing the chief 
events of salvation before the congregation in historical 
order, in which we find a justification of the practice of ob- 
serving the leading festivals of the Church, such as Christ- 
mas, Passion Week, the Resurrection, Whitsunday and 
others contained in the Scripture, if agreed upon by pastor 
and people, but always in subordination to the Lord's day 
and its services. Or the entire order of the ecclesiastical 
year may be obserA^ed if the congregation with its pastor 
shall so elect. 

Funk names *' the following festival days as those which 



212 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

are found in all the Church orders mentioned [he has just 
given a list of typical liturgies] and which on account of this 
universality have the prerogative of being special for our 
Church: Christmas three days because the Son of God be- 
came true man. Preachers may introduce the histories of 
Sts. Stephen and John as belonging to this festival, but they 
shall preach only of the birth of the Saviour. 

" The day of circumcision, when Christ became obedient 
for us, and of his own accord, submitted to the law. Since 
this day falls on New Year, there can also be preaching then. 
The day of Epiphany (Holy three Kings) because he 
claimed for his kingdom not only the Jews, but also the 
heathen, in order that he might be a Saviour of the whole 
world, as Simeon sang of him. 

" Good Friday, because through his bitter sufferings and 
death he obtained for us forgiveness of sins, life and salva- 
tion ; 

" Easter, three days in succession, on account of his res- 
urrection by divine power; 

" Ascension day, because the Lord according to his human 
nature ascended above all heavens and creatures, a mighty 
Lord over all that can be named, not only in this world, but 
also in that which is to come, Eph. i. 

"Whitsuntide three days, because he sent the Holy Ghost 
to establish the office of preaching through which he still 
daily assembles his Church. 

'' On these festivals the order of worship shall be the 
•same as that on the usual Sundays, except that the hymns, 
prayers. Scripture readiags and sermons, shall have refer- 
ence to the festival of that time. 

" In addition it has seemed advisable and good to celebrate 
the days : 

'' Of John the Baptist, Visitation of Mary (when she vis- 
ited her cousin Elizabeth) and 

" Michael, for we have beautiful hymns for these in which 
is comprehended the summary of Christian doctrine/' * 
* Kirchenordntmg, pp. 91-93. 



PRINCIPI.KS OK EVANGEUCAI. LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 213 

Some Church orders also appoint Maundy-Thursday, and 
some Trinity Sunday. But in the matter of Church festivals, 
as in very many other things, the old orders differ. 

2. The place of worship also falls under the view-point 
of order. Luther declared : " It is not wrong to build and 
found churches ; but it is wrong to engage in it and forget 
faith and love in the matter, and to do it with the intent that 
it is a good work by which to deserve well before God. 
From this follow abuses without limit, for every dark corner 
will be built full of churches without any thought of why 
churches should be built. For there is no reason for build- 
ing churches, except that Christians shall assemble, pray, 
hear preaching and receive the sacrament. If this reason be 
removed, the churches should be torn down, just as we tear 
down other buildings when they are no longer useful. But 
now all over the world everybody wants to build a chapel, 
or altar, or found a Mass, with no purpose except that 
they imagine they can be saved thereby, or can purchase 
heaven. 

*' Is it not a wretched, deplorable error and perversion to 
teach the poor people to build on works, to the great preju- 
dice of their Christian faith ? It were better that all churches 
and foundations should be torn down and burned to ashes — 
yea, it were a less sin if anyone should wantonly destroy 
them — than that a single soul should be deceived and de- 
stroyed by such error. For God has commanded nothing 
about churches, but only about souls, which are his own 
proper churches, as St. Paul says, i Cor. iii. 16, 17: 'Ye 
are God's temples, or churches. If any man defile the temple 
of God, him will God destroy.' " * 

Here Luther speaks both of the use and abuse of places 
of worship. The abuse was the result of superstition. The 
Roman Catholic doctrine of worship, the over-valuation of 
the performance, the invocation of saints, had fostered the 
notion that the worship of God at the shrines of saints, and 
* Erlangen Edition, VII., p. 222. 



214 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

at other consecrated places^ was the only proper and accept- 
able worship. This is the abuse of places of worship. But 
the abuse cannot take away the lawful use. When by the 
preaching and teaching of the divine Word, Luther had 
driven out the superstition, he sharply rebuked the people 
for not building churches. In a sermon of the year 1530, 
after severely chiding the cupidity and ingratitude of the 
people, the want of the fear of God and love for the Saviour, 
he says : "If it shall go thus in German lands, I am sorry 
that I was born a German, or that I have spoken or written 
in German; and if I could reconcile it to my conscience I 
would help to bring back the pope and all his abominations 
upon us, with oppressions, injuries and corruptions worse 
than before. Formerly when they served the devil and did 
despite to the blood of Christ, all the purses stood open, and 
there was no end to giving to churches, schools and all abom- 
inations. Then they would drive and force the children to 
cloisters, monasteries, churches, schools, without regard to 
cost — all of which was lost. Now they should found proper 
schools and churches ; yea, not found them, but keep them in 
repair (for God has founded them and has given enough to 
maintain them). And we know that it is God's Word, and 
that he has commanded to build proper churches and to 
honor the blood and death of Christ. Now all the purses are 
bound shut with brass chains." * 

At the time of the Reformation, the splendid temples and 
cathedrals built for Roman Catholic worship were used with- 
out reconstruction or reconsecration for Protestant worship, 
on the principle that the house, however magnificent or 
richly endowed with relics of saints, does not sanctify the 
Word preached, but the Word preached sanctifies the place 
in which it is preached. Pictures and images were retained, 
not for veneration, but for decoration and ornament. The 
main altar was retained, but the secondary altars were abol- 
ished. Luther declared : '' All altars which have been 

*Erlangen Edition, XVII., pp. 419, 420. 



PRINCIPI.KS OF EVANGEI.ICAL LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 215 

erected and used for the worship of saints and for the read- 
ing of the Mass, should be aboHshed, and only one for the 
act of the sacrament, for the saying of prayers, and for 
other holy acts, should remain. For as there is one body, of 
which we are members, so shall there be only one table at 
which we receive the body and blood. Therefore the Chris- 
tians of early times had only one altar. But should the 
church be so large that the congregation cannot understand 
the prayers and the reading of the usual service from the 
altar, a desk or a table may be placed below the altar for 
that purpose ; but no altar, so that a multitude of altars may 
not Qxist. But this desk or table shall be used for nothing 
in worship except the morning prayers." 

And so little importance did he attach to one altar even, 
that he said finally : " In the proper Mass, where there are 
only Christians, the altar must not remain, and the priest 
must turn to the people, as without doubt Christ did in the 
Supper. But that abides its time." 

Nevertheless the Lutheran Church has very generally con- 
structed her houses of worship with altars, at which to ad- 
minister the sacraments and to offer her devotions. She 
also continues to adorn them with statuary and painting 
as aids to worship. Her conception is that the aesthetic 
sense and the religious affections are not antagonistic, but 
conspiring, and that God's house should be made as beautiful 
and attractive as possible. 

3. Forms of worship and books of devotion are ministers 
of good order. Luther says : " True Christians do not 
stand in need of an order of worship (i. e., of external lit- 
urgical contrivances) ; they have an order of worship in the 
spirit." According to Koestlin, his idea is that in the meas- 
ure in which the congregation grows outwardly to full ma- 
turity, worship must spiritualize itself, and the external form 
become superfluous. '' But this is not to be thought of on 
earth, for Christians on earth stand in need of baptism, the 
Word, the sacrament, not as Christians, but as sinners," for 



2l6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

even the relatively most perfect Christians are sinners, and 
so still need the means of grace and the discipline of forms 
and methods of worship. 

As Koestlin further remarks, Luther distinguishes between 
two kinds of worship : '' On the one hand, the contrivances 
and forms relating to divine worship — the objective churchly 
act, the correct performance of which is considered by the 
Catholic Church the essence of the thing. On the other 
hand, the ethico-religious heart-attitude towards God, the 
proving of faith over against the Lord, which first estab- 
lishes the possibility of salvation, and which first gives value 
to divine worship and makes both the individual and the 
worship well pleasing to God." * 

This, according to Luther, is the true idea of worship: 
Simplicity and sincerity as among true believers. He says : 
*' Such a divine service ought not to occur so publicly in a 
place among all sorts of people; but those who earnestly 
desire to be Christians and to confess God with mouth and 
hand, would have to record their names and assemble them- 
selves separately in a house. Here there would not be 
needed much singing and ceremonies, only Word and sacra- 
ment and prayer. Here, also, might a common alms be im- 
posed on Christians, which they might willingly give, and 
divide among the poor according to the example of Paul. 
2 Cor. ix. 12." t 

This more truly Christian service Luther could not realize, 
because the people were not prepared for it. Hence the 
need of forms of worship and books of worship for disci- 
plinary ends — an idea expressed in the German Mass, where 
he declares that he will abide by his two services, and will 
promote the divine service " in order to instruct the young 
and to call and incite others to faith." 

This disciplinary idea, together with the desire to promote 
good order in worship, which also is disciplinary, was kept 
in prominent view by Luther's followers in constructing the 

* Geschichte, p. 154. t German Mass. 



PRINCIPLES OF KVANGEI.ICAL LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 217 

books of devotion. The Brandenburg-Nuremberg (1533) 
says in the preface : '' It is not the intention of this Church 
Order that it is to be a work, by the orderly performance of 
which a person may repent of sin and merit the grace of 
God, for Christ alone has satisfied for the sins of men, and 
has merited and acquired the grace of God for us ; but that 
it may furnish an orderly discipline for the common assem- 
bly of the Church, and an incentive and reason for the more 
diligent attendance at the preaching of God's Word, and a 
more devout reception of the sacraments." 

Similar statements may be found, in the prefaces or else- 
where, in nearly all the old books of service. One more 
quotation must suffice, taken from the Pomeranian : '' In 
the Old Testament, in the law of Moses, God appointed 
certain seasons and ceremonies to be observed by the people 
in their congregations, and enjoined upon all men alike to 
sanctify the Sabbath and to appear in the assembly of the 
saints. Therefore Christians should assemble with ceremon- 
ies and songs in the churches. For although the Christian 
Church is not built upon a uniform order of ceremonies, but 
upon the foundation of the prophets and Apostles, which is 
our Saviour Jesus Christ, and upon this Holy Word, yet 
since God is not a God of confusion but a God of peace, and 
wills that in the congregation all things should be done de- 
cently and in unity ( i Cor. xxiv. ) , so without doubt it is a 
service specially well-pleasing to his eternal divine Majesty, 
that a similar, spiritual, useful order in ceremonies should, 
so far as possible, be learned and observed, which besides 
various other advantages which it brings, serves for the 
preservation of unity in doctrine and the avoidance of 
offences in the case of the common people, who look upon 
the outward ceremonies and by these judge of doctrine, the 
sacraments and the entire ministerial office." 

IV. The fourth principle in Lutheran worship is the adia- 
phorous character of all ceremonies. No Lutheran liturgy 
has ever been issued as an imposed law, but that it might be 



2l8 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

received as a vohintary agreement to be used in whole or in 
part, or to be discontinued and changed as the circumstances 
and conditions of the congregations require. The prefaces 
and mandates which introduce the old orders of worship 
place it absolutely beyond question that all such books were 
regarded as external rites, which were fully within the power 
of the pastors and congregations. A few representative 
quotations from typical liturgies must stand as proof of this 
declaration. The Courland Liturgy, from which we have 
quoted already, and which bears throughout the type of the 
Lutheran liturgies, says : " Ceremonies are externi ritiis, 
external works set forth in the Christian Church by pious, 
o-odly Christians, according to the need or circumstances of 
persons and places by virtue of our Christian freedom, to be 
esteemed in concord and to be received in a Christian man- 
ner voluntarily and by common consent, in order that every- 
thing may proceed in the Christian congregation in an 
orderly manner and for edification; and therefore, as adia- 
phora, they are wholly unnecessary to salvation, and can 
and may sometimes in casu necessitatis et dilectionis, in 
special cases of pressing need and Christian love, be omitted ; 
or where they do not serve to the edification of God's 
Church, and, as many a time occurs, prove an idolatrous 
abuse if not changed, they are to be wholly abolished." * 
The first Wittenberg (1533) has as its last words in regard 
to service the following: "The meaning of all this with 
respect to the Mass shall be that such communion, singing, 
reading and preaching, may be curtailed and abridged by the 
pastor according to the circumstances of the time and the 
condition of the people. For the ceremonies are not neces- 
sary laws, but the pastor has the power to act in such matters 
as may serve for the best." 

Equally emphatic is the Saxon Order of 1580, which, 
Richter declares, '' is one of the most important liturgies of 
the second half of the sixteenth century:" "The pastors 

* Quoted from Kliefoth's Die ursprimgliche Gottesdienstordniing. 



PRINCIPLES OF EVANGKLICAI. LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 219 

and ministers shall diligently instruct their parishioners and 
hearers in sermons as often as opportunity allows, that such 
external ordinances and ceremonies are not in themselves 
divine worship, nor a part of it, but that they have been 
appointed in order that the w^orship of God, which it is not 
in the power of man to change, may be held at a proper 
time and place and without troublesome disorder. Hence 
they shall in no way be annoyed when they see unlike cere- 
monies and usages in external things in the churches, but 
much rather are they to bear in mind their Christian liberty 
in such things, and in order to the preservation of the same, 
profitably use dissimilarity of ceremonies, in order that we 
may not again be bound in our consciences through the 
ordinances of men, as if they were the commands of God, or 
in themselves divine worship, or necessary thereto." * 

The Lutheran Church has taught and still teaches that 
ecclesiastical rites instituted by man should be observed in 
so far as they promote peace and good order in the Church ; 
and again, that the consciences of men are not to be bur- 
dened, as though such rites are in any sense essential to 
salvation. The former of these principles she has illustrated 
by furnishing liturgies for those who wished them, and the 
latter by leaving the use of these liturgies entirely free, and 
by changing them as times and circumstances require; and 
so fully were these principles carried out, that during the 
sixteenth century well nigh two hundred f distinct liturgies 
appeared in Germany, and the Lutherans of Northern Ger- 
many never reproached the Lutherans of Southern Germany 
about the more independent character of their ceremonies of 
worship. Nor did those of Southern Germany find fault 
with the fuller services of their brethren of the north. x\nd 
so great indeed was the entire Protestant indifference to 
uniformity of ceremonies of w^orship, that the late learned 

* Kirchenordnungen, IL, p. 440. 

tAugusti estimates 132 up to the year 1550. Richter gives 174 be- 
tween the years 1523-1598- But a few of these are Reformed. The 
authors have several, and know of others, not mentioned by Richter. 



220 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Dr. Krauth was moved to say : " At the time of the hottest 
controversy between the Lutheran and Reformed Churches, 
when the differences were magnified on both sides to the last 
degree, it was never pretended by either party that there was 
any diversity in regard to the principles of public worship 
involved in the discussion. The Reformed and the Lutheran 
Churches were a unit as to every principle of worship which 
now divides this German Reformed Church. The history of 
the churches demonstrates that it was conceded on both 
sides that if there were doctrinal harmony, the questions of 
public worship would settle themselves. Both communions 
hold that the churches of each country have the right, pro re 
nata, to change and order all matters of worship not fixed 
by God's Word, as her best interests may, in each case, de- 
mand." * 

It is just this principle of indifference to the particular 
forms of public worship, provided the forms used be scrip- 
tural, that constitutes one of the chief glories of the Evan- 
gelical Lutheran Church, and places in her hand an impor- 
tant condition of true ecclesiastical unity. It is historically 
Lutheran to conduct worship according to the forms of a 
moderately full or a very simple liturgy ; and it is in no sense 
contrary to any principle of the Lutheran Church to conduct 
worship without the aid or guidance of any written or 
printed form. 

The entire subject of Lutheran worship is comprehen- 
sively and most justly and accurately summed up in the 
following paragraphs of Koestlin : "In regard to the con- 
stitution of the divine service of the empirical Church, the 
determining view-point is that the divine service should be- 
come organ, frame-w^ork, and in part the realization of the 
worship of God in spirit and in truth. To this end it is 
required that those factors which constitute the true divine 
service be brought into full function — or the first condition 
is that 

'' I, The word and sacrament through which as means the 
* Mercersburg Review, 1869. 



PRINCIPLES OF EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 221 

Holy Ghost works faith, should be brought into prominence, 
and be made the central point of the act of worship. ' To 
sum up,' says Luther, ' in divine worship everything is done 
that the Word may have free course and not again become a 
sound and noise as formerly it was.' ' The one thing need- 
ful is that Mary, Luke x. 39, shall sit at the feet of Jesus 
and hear his Word daily.' 

" From this comes the necessary correlate, that 

" 2. In the divine service, place and form be given for the 
testifying of the faith of the congregation, for only where 
this is found, can it be said of the divine service that this 
form corresponds to the demand of the truth, and does not 
promote mechanism, but stirs up faith, and helps to express 
the same (which is the limiting view-point for the language 
of worship in prayer, song and choral). 

'' To this is added yet as a third, 

"3. Principle, order and decorum, arising from the con- 
ception of the act as that of the community — the congressus 
publici must, as Melanchthon says, be honesti, or according 
to Luther, an orderly, dece4it public assembly. 

" To these fundamental principles, that of objective truth 
according to which Word and sacrament form the basis 
and central point: that of subjective truth, according to 
which the act of the congregation shall be or become a liv- 
ing attestation of faith (not a mechanical utterance, ' sound ' 
'noise'): and that (formal principle) of order, without 
which a common act cannot be thought of — to these all the 
other elements of a common edification must be subordi- 
nated. All these, the time of worship, the forms of wor- 
ship, the books of worship, etc., fall under the view-point 
of adiaphora. They have their justification and value not in 
themselves, but in the measure in which they promote the 
true divine service, the edification out of Word and sacra- 
ment, and the worship in spirit founded thereon. They are 
injurious and objectionable in proportion as they hinder this 
end. 



222 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

'' So teaches also the Augsburg Confession, XV. : ' They 
teach that those rites are to be observed which can be ob- 
served without sin, and which promote tranquilhty and good 
order in the Church, as certain hoHdays, festivals and the 
like. In regard to these things, however, men are exhorted 
that consciences are not to be burdened, as if such worship, 
were necessary to salvation.' — Compare Augsburg Confes- 
sion XXVIII. : ' What opinion must be held about the 
Lord's day and similar rites in the Churches.' 

" The form of Concord, Part II., Chap, x., distinguishes. 
sharply the ' worship of God ' from human traditions, that 
is, the transitory form and shape of the divine worship. 

I. 

'^ Therefore, we reject and condemn as errors: * When 
human traditions are regarded per se as the worship of God 
or as any part of it (since they are only the earthly — human 
form of the Worship of God).' 

n. 

" ' When human traditions are obtruded by force, as. 
though they were necessary to be observed by the Church of 
God.' 

'' ' The Church is free in all places and times, by the very 
nature of the case, and out of regard to the welfare of the 
Church, to receive one or more adiaphora and to use them: 
according to the nature of Christian liberty.' 

" Thus Luther, acting according to these fundamental 
principles, was not destructive and radical, but conservative, 
reverent and moderate. It was not a question of liturgical 
innovation, but a question of purification of what was at 
hand, that it might be made serviceable in the worship of 
God in the true divine service." * 

* Geschichte, pp. 162, 163. 



CHAPTER IX. 

FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP.* 

The Lutheran Confessors declared in the most emphatic 
way : '' For the true unity of the Christian Church it is not 
necessary that uniform ceremonies, instituted by men, should 
be everywhere observed.'' f This principle they themselves 
applied in the broadest and freest manner. Luther declared 
in the Formula Missae and in the German Mass, that he did 
not wish to bind any particular form of service on his fellow- 
Christians, but that every one should adapt the form of wor- 
ship to his own circumstances. The preaching of the pure 
Word was that which he sought above everything ; for he 
felt confident that if the Word could only have free course, 
the minor matters of form would soon adjust themselves. 
Yet so great was the force of Luther's example, and such 
Vvas the excellence of the forms of worship presented in his 
two chief liturgical writings, that as Kcestlin says, '' by these 
two plans, Luther, while preserving the full freedom of the 
individual churches, furnished the models according to 

* The forms of Lutheran worship are found generally in the Kirchen- 
ordnungen, that is, Church Orders, which for the most part we have 
translated Liturgies, although a liturgy is " i. In a general but not very 
precise sense, the established customary formulas for public worship. 
2. A technical term to designate that form by which the Holy Eucharist 
is celebrated." Lee's Glossary. The Kirchenordnungen commonly con- 
tain about the following parts : Examination of Candidates for the Min- 
istry; Form of Ordination; Ceremonies, that is, the liturgy in the- 
" technical " sense, and other forms of worship ; Baptism ; Marriage ; 
Burial. Some also contain directions for the conduct of schools, for 
the administration of discipline, the visitation of the sick, and the per- 
formance of other Christian services. Almost every chief city and 
principality in Germany had its own Kirchenordnung. Very many such 
are in use in Germany and in the United States to-day. 

tAugs. Confession, Art. VIL 

(223) 



224 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

which the different orders of worship regulated their chief 
divine service. 

'^ Among the most conservative are the hturgies of Nu- 
remberg (Ansbach-Brandenburg, 1526), [Lucas Osiander] , 
1525, of Brandenburg, 1540, (Stratner and Buchholtzer, 
under Joachim II.), the Pfalz-Neuburg, 1543, and the Aus- 
trian under MaximiHan IL, of 1571, and the Strasburg 
Kirchenamt, of 1524 (Kopphel). 

'' The hturgies of Northern and Central Germany fol- 
lowed in general the type of the Latin Mass : Those of 
Brunswick 1528, Hamburg 1529, Minden 1530, Liibeck 
1 53 1, Pomeranian 1535, which proceeded from Bugen- 
hagen; the Hanoverian, 1536, by Urban Regius; the Church 
Order of Duke Henry of Saxony, of 1539, whose competent 
author was Jonas; that of Naumburg 1537, Mecklenburg 
1540, 1552, Brunswick-Wolfenbiittel ( Chemnitz- Andreae) 
1569, Liineburg, Magdeburg, the Westphalian, that of Old- 
enberg, Riga, the Swedish, &c. In Southern Germany the 
Brandenburg-Nuremberg (1533) follows the Latin Mass. 

" A more intermediate position is occupied by those litur- 
gies (Kirchenordnungen) composed by Brentz for the rela- 
tions of Wurtemberg: Hall 1525, 1526 (sermon at the be- 
ginning of the divine service!) 1543. The great Wiirtem- 
berg liturgy of 1553 (which corrected the 'Little' one in- 
fluenced by Blaurer into a Lutheran one) is the type. The 
liturgies of Baden 1556, Pfalz 1554, Worms 1560, and 
others, have the simple form." * 

Thus the development of the forms of Lutheran worship 
was three-fold, or into three distinct t3^pes. But not only do 
these types differ from each other; individuals in each of 
these types often differ materially from each other. The one 
quality in which they agree, and which characterizes them 
all alike, is Lutheran doctrine, without which they could not 
have been Lutheran liturgies, since the Lutheran Church has 
always made doctrine the prime and final test, and " air the 
'^' Geschichte, pp. 176, 177. 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 225 

Church orders since the Wolfenbiittel,* besides the New 
Testament, accept the symbohcal writings as the external 
mark of their evangeHcal Protestant faith and character.." 
Funk, Kirchenordnung, p. 13. 

Funk has stated the development of the Lutheran liturgies 
as follows : 

" United by the power of a living faith into a harmonious 
and most intelligent piety, confessors of the pure Gospel 
gathered themselves around the preaching and teaching of 
the Reformers and their associates, just as around the Apos- 
tles ; and in order that their posterity might not again go 
astray, teachers and overseers assembled and devised regula- 
tions and arrangements that thereby holy living might be 
awakened in Christendom. These regulations on the one 
hand, in contrast with the standing laws of the Romish 
Church, were to promote the free influence of the Gospel 
upon the mind; but on the other hand, also, they were to 
prevent disorder and confusion. In themselves they were 
not to be regarded as edifying and quickening, but only as 
a means for the promotion of the Gospel, and, therefore, also 
not to be imposed as necessary laws, but to be produced as 
a voluntary agreement ; not set up as a finished and obliga- 
tory work for all times and places, but much rather com- 
posed and altered according to the religious circumstances 
of each place. Thus each congregation possessed the liberty 
of making her own regulations, and every such order was al- 
lowed, which retained the Gospel unimpaired and in vital 
activity as the essence and central point of the Church. Fi- 
nally, in the voluntary arrangement, room was given to 
spontaneous development, in so far, namely, as out of the 
increasing knowledge of the Gospel, also spiritualization 
and simplification of Church forms must necessarily proceed. 

" In this manner the Protestant Church orders and litur- 
gies came into existence. From this is explicable their great 
number, as well as their mutual resemblance and difference. 
*Funk means the Brunswick-Wolfenbiittel of 1543, prepared, prin- 
cipally, by Bugenhagen. See Richter's Kirchenordntingen, Vol. II., p. 56. 
15 



226 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

In regard to the latter characteristic they may be classed 
under three heads : i . Those in which, indeed, the evangel- 
ical doctrine is recognized and its distinct proclamation de- 
termined, but in which Church regulations in closest agree- 
ment with the Papistical were retained. These have set up 
proper ideas about evangelical Church regulations, but did 
not carry them out. 2. Those in which the practical di- 
rections of Luther were followed. This is especially the case 
with the liturgies into which his order of worship of 1526 
and his other forms were either incorporated, or if, per- 
chance, there were cases of leaning to the Papal ritual, yet, 
they were used as a basis. Finally, 3. Those in which the 
Church matters began to be arranged in close accord with 
the principles of the New Testament, and in which, there- 
fore, Luther's directions were, indeed, regarded or used as 
types, but upon which Church matters were not exclusively 
founded. The difference characterizing the two latter classes 
might also be indicated thus : The one kind tolerated much 
yet that was not directly opposed to the New Testament, 
while the other began to introduce that alone which was in 
strict harmony with the New Testament." * 

We now give appropriate examples of the three classes of 
Lutheran liturgies. 

L 

THE ROMANIZING LITURGIES. 

For the ultra-conservative or Romanizing class we give 
the Mark Brandenburg, which Daniel calls '' Liturgiam 
Luthero-Romanizantem, quae, doctrinae ingenio diligenter 
servato, quoad caerimonias in vestigiis stare videtur Ponti- 
ficionum." (Codex Liturgicus, IL, 124). It is strictly Lu- 
theran in doctrine, but is closely conformed to the Roman 
Mass in matters of ceremony. The authors of this order of 
service were Stratner and George Buchholtzer. 

Besides an unusual amount of Latin and a long list of fes- 
tival days '' it restored almost literally the Gregorian Mass 
Text" (Alt). Luther himself was displeased with it, and 
* Kirchenordnung, Preface, pp. 5, 6. 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 227 

wrote to George Solinus thus : " I do not think those addi- 
tions will last long, especially the prolixity of the Mass and 
other acts. When they begin to be despised, and to go down 
of their own accord, they will not long resist the contempt of 
the people." De Wette, V., p. 307. Alt tells us that Luther's 
prophecy soon came true, for already in 1554 changes were 
made, and 1572 a new order was instituted.* 

The following translation is made from the text given in 
Richter's Kirchenordnungen, II., pp. 326-7. Omissions, indi- 
cated by notes inclosed in brackets, the reader can supply by 
reference to the works named. 

MARK BRANDENBURG^ I540. ORDER OF THE MASS. 

When the priest holds the Mass, he and his assistant in 
their usual churchly attire, according to the custom of each 
church, shall go to the altar. He shall begin by saying the 
Confiteor. Then shall be sung the usual introit followed by 
Kyrie Eleison, according to circumstances. Then the Gloria 
in Excelsis, which with the et in terra belongs to the Kyrie, 
shall be sung. Then shall the priest chant the Do minus 
vohiscmn and the collect belonging to the Mass. Then the 
Epistle according to the circumstances of the time and the 
festivals. The above named hymns and the Epistle shall all 
be chanted in Latin. The Epistle which has been chanted 
shall then be read to the people. After the Epistle, the 
people may begin and sing a German hymn. Then the 
Alleluia and the sequence shall be sung, or according to the 
circumstances of the time a Latin tractus. Then the Gospel 
with the preceding customary benediction shall be chanted 
in Latin. Then the Gospel which has been chanted shall be 
read to the people in German with a clear voice. Then 
shall the priest chant Credo in uniim Deum, the Creed. In 
cathedrals and monasteries it shall be chanted in Latin, but 
in parishes the German '' Wir glauben all an Einen Gott " 
shall be sung. Then the priest shall chant Domine vobiscum 
absque orennis. Then the hymn which has heretofore been 
* See Christlicher Cultiis, p. 272. 



228 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

used as an offertory shall be sung. Then the priest shall 
chant the usual preface, followed by the Latin Sanctus, all to 
be chanted in Latin. During the Sanctus, the priest shall 
pray the following prayer in German. [Here follow the 
last, the next to the last, the fourth and fifth collects from 
the Brandenburg-Nuremberg.] Then shall he sing in Ger- 
man Verba consecrationis with elevation, as follows: Our 
Lord Jesus Christ in the night, etc. 

Here with a gentle inclination elevate it reverently. Then 
take the cup zvith both hands and say: Likewise also the cup 
after the supper, etc. Elevate the cup. 

After the elevation in cathedrals and monasteries a Latin 
hymn shall be sung, as the responsory, Tua est potentia, etc. 
But in parishes a German hymn, Es wolt uns Gott gnedig 
sein, oder sey lob und danck mit hohem preis. Then the 
Lord's Prayer shall be sung in German as follows: Let us 
pray as the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us, and with 
true assurance and confidence dare to say : Our Father, etc. 

Let all the people say Amen. 

Turning to the people let him chant, The peace of the 
Lord be with you all. Let all the people say Amen. 

Thou Lamb of God who takest away the sins of the world, 
have mercy upon us. Thou Lamb of God who takest away 
the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. 

Thou Lamb of God who takest away the sins of the world, 
grant us peace. 

The Agnus Dei shall also be sung in Latin. Bow down, 
Lord Jesus Christ, etc. [As in the Roman Mass book.] 

Let them say. Lord Jesus Christ, etc. [As in the Roman 
Mass book, yet free us (instead of me), and make us (in- 
stead of me) etc.] 

Another prayer. The sacrament of thy body. Lord Jesus 
Christ, which we unworthy, etc. [As in the Roman Mass 
book.] 

Then turning to the people let him read this exhortation : 
Dearly beloved, etc. [As in the Brandenburg-Nuremberg.] 



FORMS OF I.UTHERAN WORSHIP. 229 

Thai shall he begun the responsory Discttbuit Jesus in 
Latin, and if the corninunicants are so many that it will not 
hold out, the people shall say in German, Gott sey gelobet, or 
Jesus Christus iinser Heiland. If the Discubuit has sufficed, 
one of these hymns shall be sung after the Communion. 

Nozv the communicants approach and zvhen the body is 
presented, then let the priest say. Take and eat, etc. [As in 
the Brandenburg-Nuremberg.] 

At the cup let the deacon say : Take and drink, etc. [As 
in the Brandenburg-Nuremberg.] Then turning to the peo- 
ple let him say the following thanksgiving. O Almighty- 
God, etc. [As in the Brandenburg-Nuremberg.] 

Then let him bow and say: Thy body, O Lord, which 
we sinners have received with the mouth, etc. [According 
to the Roman Mass book.] 

We now present in full outline two others belonging to- 
this class: First the Strasburg Kirchenambt (1524) by 
Kopphel, and secondly the Austrian (1571) by Chytraeus. 
The former is entirely in German ; the latter has the Ger- 
man and Latin forms alternating throughout. 

Strasburg Kirchenambt. Austrian. 

In the name of the Father, etc Opening Hymn. 

Exhortation to Confession, 

Adjutorium (Our help, etc.). 
Confiteor Confession. 

Absolution. 

Exhortation to Prayer. 

Introit Introit. 

Gloria Patri Gloria Patri. 

Kyrie Kyrie. 

Gloria in Excelsis Gloria in Excelsis. 

The Lord be with you Salutation. 

Collect Collect. 

Epistle Epistle. 

Alleluia Hallelujah or Psalm. 

Gospel Gospel. 

Apostles' Creed or Nicene Creed Nicene or Apostles' Creed. 

Sermon Sermon. 

Exhortation (Brief) General Prayer. 

Lord's Prayer. 



230 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Preface Preface. 

Sanctus Sanctus. 

Prayer Prayer for Communicants. 

Consecration Lord's Prayer. 

Prayer (with Lord's Prayer). 

Agnus Dei Pax. 

Prayer Words of Institution. 

Distribution Distribution with Agnus. 

Nunc Dimittis Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving Hymn Psalm. 

The Lord be with you Lord's Prayer. 

Prayer Benediction. 

Benedicamus. 
Benediction. 

11. 

THE LITURGIES OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL GERMANY. 

Kliefoth calls these Der dchte typiis — the proper type. 
Harnack designates them as the Majoritdts Praxis. They 
are founded, for the most part, on Luther's Formula Missae 
(1523), and exhibit the form of liturgical service most 
widely used in Germany in the sixteenth century. But while 
constituting one type, they exhibit manifold individual dif- 
ferences, and thus show that the Lutheran Church laid no 
stress on uniformity of practice in the ceremonies of wor- 
ship. To represent this class we introduce entire the Bran- 
denburg-Nuremberg (omitting only the collects) and the 
Saxon, of which Dr. Krauth wrote : " The Brandenburg- 
Nuremberg liturgy of 1533 and the Saxon of 1539 belong to 
the greatest and most widely used liturgies of the sixteenth 
century." And again : " The Nuremberg and Saxon orders 
were the most influential and widely used of Lutheran litur- 
gies of the sixteenth century." — Mercersburg Review, 1869, 
pp. 603, 606. 

I. THE BRANDENBURG-NUREMBERG, 1 533. 

This order was composed by Osiander and Brentz, and 
was approved by the theologians at Wittenberg '' as not in- 
consistent with the Word of God, and as in harmony with 
the Visitation Articles."* Richter says that next to the Vis- 
* De Wette's Luther's Briefe, IV. 387-8. 



FORMS OF I.UTHERAN WORSHIP. 23 1 

itation Articles, no liturgy had authority in wider circles. * 
Klopper calls it " the foundation of many other liturgies." 
Lohe quotes Chytraeus as saying of it, " Caeterarum publice 
et privatim postea scriptarum fontem et veluti matrem." f 

We translate from a copy of the original edition, bearing 
date 1533, without place of publication or name of printer, 
but supposed to have been done at Nuremberg by Joyce Gut- 
knecht. (See Feuerlin, pp. 276-7). Copies of other edi- 
tions ( 1 564-1 591) and the reprint given by Richter, are in 
our hands. 

TRANSLATION I 
HOW THE ORDER OF THE MASS SHALL BE OBSERVED. { 

As soon as the priest comes to the altar he may say the 
Confiteor, or whatever his devotion may suggest to him. 
Then he may read the introit, which should be taken from 
Holy Scripture. Where there is a school the scholars shall 
sing the introit in Latin. In villages where the people can- 
not sing in Latin, there, in accordance with the custom of 
each place, a Christian German hymn shall be sung. But 
where the people cannot sing such a hymn, the pastors shall 
instruct them. But where, as in some cities and villages 
already, the introits and other like hymns have been pre- 
pared in German, or shall yet be so prepared, no change 
may be made. 

Then he (the priest) shall read the Kyrie Eleison and Et 
in terra in Latin. The scholars or people may sing it in Latin 
or German, as their custom may be. Then shall the priest 
turn towards the people and say or sing Dominus vohiscum, 
or The Lord be zvith yon. This is followed by one or more 
collects, according to the circumstances of the times, and for 
various interests of Christendom. And because these are 

* Kirchenordnimgen, I., p. 177. 

t Sammliing, Drittes Heft, p. 5. 

JThe Lutheran Church long retained the word Mass, as the name 
(to which the people were accustomed) for the sacrament and com- 
munion of the Lord's Supper ; but it did not in any sense associate with 
the word- the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Mass as a sacrifice. 



232 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

said for the whole congregation, they shall be said in Ger- 
man, in order that the people may hear and understand the 
same, and at the same time devoutly meditate and pray in 
like manner. To this diligent attention and devout contem- 
plation shall the people be exhorted by the preachers in their 
sermons. And as several are appointed hereafter, from 
which each may select according to his own pleasure, let 
him especially choose one which has reference to spiritual 
matters. Afterwards, if he desires, or if the circumstances 
and requirements of the times demand it, he may also pray 
for the temporal peace and for the fruit of the field, etc., and 
for other interests of the common Christendom. 

,Nozv follow the collects or prayers [fvitt^n common or 
general prayers, six for the chief festivals, one for the com- 
ing of the kingdom, one for the doing of God's will, and tw^o 
pro pace]. 

After the prayer he shall read a chapter from the Epistles 
of the Apostle Paul, Peter or John, etc., in German, begin- 
ning thus: 

Beloved, hear attentively the first chapter of the Epistle of 
Paul to the Romans. 

At the end he shall conclude thus: This is the first chapter 
of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. 

After the Epistle he may read an Alleluia with its verse in 
Latin, or a gradual taken from Holy Scripture. The same 
may the scholars also sing in Latin. 

Then shall he read a chapter from the Gospel or the Acts 
of the Apostles, and begin the Creed, which the scholars shall 
sing in Latin, as the custom is, or the people shall sing the 
Creed in German. Thereupon on a Sunday shall follow the 
usual Sermon. After the Sermon shall follow the Supper. 

ORDER OF THE LORD's SUPPER. 

When the priest wishes to celebrate the Lord's Supper 
(provided he have communicants), he shall then make the 
following exhortation to the people. The words of the Sup- 
per, where the Mass is sung, shall be used in the following 



FORMS OF I.UTHERAN WORSHIP. 233 

manner, and according to the notes hereafter given. Or if 
he read the Mass he shall read it with loud, distinct utter- 
ance, in order that the people present may hear it. 

THE EXHORTATION. 

Dearly beloved in God : Inasmuch as we now intend to 
commemorate and observe the Holy Supper of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, in which he has given us his flesh for food and 
his blood for drink, in order to strengthen faith, each one of 
us should examine himself with great care, as St. Paul ex- 
horts us ; for this Holy Sacrament is given as a special com- 
fort and strengthening to poor, sorrowing consciencesv which 
confess their sins, fear God's wrath and death, and do hun- 
ger and thirst after righteousness. If we examine ourselves, 
and descend each one into his own conscience, as St. Paul 
exhorts us, we shall certainly not find anything except divers 
grievous sins, and death, which we have merited through 
sin, and from which we can in no way deliver ourselves. 
For this reason, our dear Lord Jesus Christ hath had mercy 
upon us, and on account of our sins became man, in order 
that in our behalf he might fulfill the law and the whole will 
of God; and death and everything which we had incurred 
by our sins he took upon himself, and suffered for us and 
for our deliverance. And that we might ever truly believe 
this, and through faith might joyfully live according to his 
will, after the Supper he took bread, gave thanks, brake it, 
and said : " Take and eat : this is my body which is given for 
you :" that is, my becoming man, and all that I do and suffer, 
is all your own, and was done on your behalf : of which as a 
pledge and testimony I give you my body as food. Like- 
wise, also, he took the cup and said : *' Take and drink ye all 
of it; this is the cup of the New Testament in my blood 
which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of 
sins; as oft as ye do this ye do thereby remember me.'' 
That is, because I have interested myself in your behalf, and 
have taken the burden of your sins upon myself, I will offer 
myself in death for sin, will shed my blood, secure grace and 



234 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

forgiveness of sin, and thus set up a New Testament where- 
by sin shall be forgiven and remembered no more forever, 
of which as a sure pledge and testimony I give you my blood 
to drink. Whosoever thus eats this bread and drinks of this 
cup, also firmly believing the words which he hears from 
Christ, and these pledges which he receives from Christ, 
abides in Christ the Lord, and Christ in him, and he shall 
live forever. Thus shall we hold him in remembrance, and 
proclaim his death, namely, that he died for our sins, and 
rose again for our justification, and thus we give him thanks 
and take up our cross and follow him, and according to his 
commandment, we shall love one another as he hath loved 
us, for we are all one bread and one body, because we all 
partake of one bread and one cup. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ on the night in which he was be- 
trayed ... in remembrance of me. [In the original the 
words of institution are set to music and are chanted by the 
minister. This is the consecration of the elements.] 

Then follows the Sanctus, Latin or German. Then im- 
mediately: Admonished by thy salutary precepts and guided 
by thy divine institution, let us presume to say: Our Father 
etc., to be followed immediately by Pax Domini sit semper 
vobiscum, or in German as hereafter is set to notes. 

Our Father who art in heaven . . . but deliver us from 
evil, Amen. [The Lord's Prayer, with the doxology 
omitted, is set to music, and is chanted by the minister.] 

The peace of the Lord be with 3^ou all. Amen. After 
this those zvho have previously announced themselves shall 
come to the Holy Sacrament of the Supper of Christ, which 
shall be administered to them zvith these zvords: Take and 
eat. This is the body of Christ which is given for you. 

And with the cup 

Take and drink. This is the blood of the New Testament 
which was shed for thy sins. 

Where the pastor has no deacon he shall give to every one 
the body of Christ before he gives the cup to any one. But 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 235 

where he has assistants (Levites) one of these may hand 
the cup to each one that has received the body of Christ. 

While this is being done the scholars shall sing: Agnus 
Dei, etc. 

But where there are no scholars present the congregation 
may sing something that is in accord with God's Word and 
the occasion, as the custom is. Where the number of per- 
sons is so great that much time is required, there shall be 
sung not only one communio (taken from Holy Scripture) 
but something more may and shall be sung, until all the 
people have been served, as Responsorium Discuhuit, or 
whatever is in harmony with the Scriptures. When all the 
people have been served, a general thanksgiving prayer shall 
be publicly said in German thus : 

LET us PRAY. 

Almighty everlasting God, we give praise and thanks for 
thy divine tenderness, because thou hast fed us with the 
salutary flesh, and given us to drink the blood of thine only 
Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And we humbly pray that thou 
Avouldst work in us through thy Holy Spirit that as with the 
mouth we have received this Holy Sacrament, so we may 
also with firm faith apprehend and eternally keep thy divine 
grace, forgiveness of sins, union with Christ, and eternal 
life, which is therein signified and promised through our 
Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who with thee in unity with the 
Holy Spirit, lives and reigns true God, world without end. 
Amen. 

ANOTHER THANKSGIVING. 

We thank thee, Almighty God, that thou hast refreshed 
us through this salutary gift of thy body and blood, and we 
beseech that of thy mercy thou wouldst cause this act to 
strengthen faith towards thee, and to work ardent love 
among us all, through the same, our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. 

Deo Gratias. 
Then let him pronounce the benediction upon the people 
as foUozvs: 



236 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

The Lord bless thee and keep thee : The Lord make his 
face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The 
Lord hft up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. 
Amen. 

Or thus: 

God be gracious and merciful unto us, and give us his di- 
vine blessing, cause his face to shine upon us and grant us 
his peace. Amen. 

Or thus: 

Bless and keep us, God the Father, and the Son, and the 
Holy Spirit. Amen. 
' Or thus: 

The blessing of God the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost, be with you and abide with us all. Amen. 

BENEDICAMUS DOMINO. 
2. THE SAXON, 1 539. 

Duke George of Saxony, an ardent adherent of the old 
faith, was succeeded by his brother Henry, who immediately 
introduced the Reformation into his dominions. An order 
of worship and Church government was prepared by Justus 
Jonas, assisted by Spalatin, Creutziger, Myconius, Minius 
and Weller. It was approved by Luther (see Corpus Ref., 
Vn. 42), and revised with additions in 1548 (see Corpus 
Ref., vn. 203). Richter says it passed through various edi- 
tions and was widely followed (Kirchenordnungen, L p. 
307). Daniel selects it as representative of the true old 
Lutheran liturgy, and calls it ** in the highest sense a gen- 
uine offspring of the Lutheran Church " (Codex Lit., H. 
p. 123). Our translation is made from a copy of the first 
edition printed at Wittenberg by Hans Lufft, the preface 
bearing date September 19th, 1539. Richter's reprint is 
from a copy of this edition. The German is : Kirchen-ord- 
nunge fur die Pfarherrn in Hertzog Heinrichs zu Sachsenn 
V. g. h. Fiirstenthum. 1539. For the sake of those who 
can read German, and as an example of a '' genuine old 
Lutheran liturgy," we present first the German text. 



FORMS OF I.UTHKRAN WORSHIP. 237 

COMMUNIO. 

Wenn man nach eines jeden orts gewonheit, wie man etwa 
zur Messen gepflegt, ausgeleutet, sollen die Schuler singen : 
Erstlich den Introitum von der Dominica, oder Festen. 
Darauff das Kyrie Eleison, Gloria in Excelsis, und Et in 
terra Latinisch, darnach die CoUecten deudsch oder Latin- 
isch. Darauff die Epistel gegen dem volck deudsch; dar- 
nach ein Sequentz, oder deudschen Psalm, oder andern geist- 
lichen gesang, wie solches ein jedezeit erfordert. 

Darnach das Evangelium von der Dominica' oder vom 
Fest, auch gegen dem volck deudsch gelesen. Darauff den 
Glauben gesungen : Wir gleuben all an einen Gott, etc. 

Folgende die Predigt des Evangelii von der Dominica 
oder Fest, wie solchs die zeit bringet. 

Nach die Predigt lese man dem volck die Paraphrasim des 
Vater unsers fiir, mit der vcrmanung zum Sacrament fur 
dem Altar. Darnach singe man die Verba testamenti zu 
deudsche, unser Herr Jhesu Christ in der nacht da er verra- 
ten ward, etc. 

Wenn solche wort gesungen, las man darauff das volck 
•singen, Jhesus Christus unser Heiland, etc., oder Gott sey 
gelobet, etc. Auch mag man zuzeiten, sonderlich auff die 
Festa, die Paraphrasim und vermanung dem volck furzule- 
•sen, nachlassen, und dafur die Latinische Prefation singen, 
darauff das Latinische Sanctus. Nach dem selbigen das 
Vater unser und die Verba testamenti deudsch, und darauff 
unter der Communion das Agnus Dei Latinisch, sampt dem 
deudschen gesang, Jhesus Christus, nach dem der Commu- 
nicanten viel oder wenig sein. 

Unter dem gesang Communicire man das volck sub 
utraque specie. 

Nach der Communion lese man die coUecta, und besch- 
liesse mit der Benediction. 

Translation. 

COMMUNION. 

According to the custom of each place when the Mass is 



238 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

to be celebrated and the bells have ceased ringing, the 
scholars shall sing : First the introit of the Lord's day or of 
the festival. Then the Kyrie Eleison, Gloria in Excelsis, 
and Et in terra in Latin, then the collect in German or Latin. 
After that the Epistle towards the people in German; then 
the sequence, or German Psalm or some other spiritual 
hymn, such as each time requires. 

Then the Gospel of the Lord's day, or of the festival, is 
read also towards the people. Then the Creed is sung : Wir 
glauben all an einen Gott, etc. 

The preaching of the Gospel of the Lord's day or of the 
festival follows, as the time may indicate. After the preach- 
ing, read to the people the Paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer,* 
with Exhortation to the sacrament before the altar. Then 
sing the Verba Testamenti in German. Our Lord Jesus 
Christ in the night in which he was betrayed, etc. 

When these words have been sung, then let the people 
sing, Jesus Christus unser Heiland, etc., or Gott sei gelobet, 
etc. Sometimes, especially at festivals, the reading of the 
Paraphrase and the Exhortation may be omitted, and instead 
the Latin Preface may be sung, followed by the Latin Sanc- 
tus. After this the Lord's Prayer and the Verba Testamenti 
in German. Then during the Communion the Agnus Dei, 
together with the German hymn, Jesus Christus, accord- 
ing as the communicants are many or few. 

During the singing the people receive the Communion 
under both kinds. 

After the Communion read the collect, and close with the 
benediction. 



The two foregoing examples, the Brandenburg-Nurem- 
berg and the Saxon, illustrate what Daniel calls the genuine 
old Lutheran liturgv', or as we would prefer to say with Har- 
nack, the Lutheran liturg}^ in its most widely accepted forms. 

It is the order for the celebration of the Lord's Supper in 
*As in Luther's German Mass. 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 239 

large towns and cities, where it was supposed that there 
would be communicants every Sunday, and where there were 
schools and ample provision for singing. Nearly all these 
liturgies have simple forms for communion in villages and in 
countr}^ churches, or ''where there are no schools." 

That the forms of service last given may be the more 
easily understood, we present the following outlines, which 
may be compared with the full text. We omit the Confiteor 
from the Brandenburg-Nuremburg because it is not a proper 
part of the liturgical services, but the Beichtgebet des 
P Hesters, that is, the private devotion of the minister at the 
altar before beginning the service : 

Brandenburg-Nuremberg. Saxon. 

Introit Introit, 

Kyrie Kyrie. 

Gloria in Excelsis Gloria in Excelsis. 

The Lord be with you. 

Collect Collect. 

Epistle Epistle. 

Alleluia or Gradual Sequence or Psalm or Hymn. 

Gospel Gospel. 

Creed Creed. 

Sermon Sermon. 

Exhortation Preface, or 

Paraphrase of Lord's Prayer. 

Consecration Consecration. 

Lord's Prayer with Pax. 

Distribution with Agnus Distribution with Agnus. 

Thanksgiving Collect Thanksgiving Collect. 

Benedicamus. 

Benediction Benediction. 

With the above may be compared the full outline of two 
other standard liturgies, viz., the Brunswick, prepared by 
Bugenhagen, and the Spangenberg Kirchengesange com- 
posed by John Spangenberg at the request of Luther, which 
contains a service for every Sunday and festival of the 
Church year set to music : 

Brunswick,, 1531. Spangenberg, 1545. 

German Psalm Kom, Heiliger Geist. 

Collect. 
Kyrie Kyrie. 



240 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Gloria in Excelsis Gloria in Excelsis. 

Collect Collect. 

Epistle Epistle. 

Halleluia or Psalm Hymn. 

Gospel Gospel. 

Creed Creed. 

Sermon Sermon. 

German Psalm or Hymn. 

Preface "» . , j Preface. 

Sanctus J \ Sanctus. 

Exhortation Paraphrase of Lord's Prayer, with 

Exhortation. 
Lord's Prayer. 

Words of Institution Words of Institution. 

Distribution with Hymn Distribution with Agnus. 

Agnus Dei. 

Thanksgiving Collect Thanksgiving Collect. 

Benediction Benediction. 

Da Pacem. 

Other important liturgies of this class, not already men- 
tioned in the present chapter, are the First Wittenberg 
(1533) which was ordered by the council of Wittenberg, 
and which superseded the personal orders of Bugenhagen 
and Luther ; the Saxon Visitation Articles, which were pre- 
pared for the second visitation of electoral Saxony in 1533; 
the Wittenberg (1559), which is a reprint of the Mecklen- 
burg of 1554; the Calenberg (1569); the Saxon of 1580. 
But none of these differ very materially from those already 
presented either in full text or in full outline, except that the 
Wittenberg (1559) has a form of confession and absolution 
to be said by the minister and his assistant before beginning 
the service proper with the introit. 

In the seventeenth century new orders and liturgies were 
introduced into almost all the provinces of Germany. But 
the form and order of service remained in general what they 
WTre in the preceding century. There was substantial agree- 
ment, but local variations. 

Among the more important liturgies of this second cen- 
tury of the Lutheran Church, are the revised Mecklenburg 
(1602), presented pretty fully in a subsequent chapter; the 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 24I 

Coburg (1626) ; the Revised Mecklenburg (1650) ; that for 
Saxony, JiiHchs, Cleves and Bergen, pubHshed at Weimar in 
1664. We present full outlines of the Coburg and the 
Saxon, Julichs, etc. 

Coburg, 1626. Saxon, etc., 1664. 

Kom, Heiliger Geist Kom, Heiliger Geist as Introit. 

Introit. 

Kyrie Kyrie. 

Gloria in Excelsis Gloria in Excelsis. 

Collect Collect. 

Epistle Epistle. 

Psalm or Hymn Hymn. 

Gospel Gospel. 

Creed Hymn or Creed. 

Sermon Lord's Prayer and Sermon. 

Confession and Absolution Hymn. 

Exhortation Lord's Prayer. 

Lord's Prayer Exhortation. 

Words of Listitution Words of Institution. 

Distribution with Agnus Distribution. 

Collect Collect. 

Benediction Benediction. 

It is directed that the confession and absolution in the 
Coburg shall be said only when there are communicants, and 
both liturgies close with the direction : " When no communi- 
cants are present the service shall conclude after the sermon 
with a Christian motet or German hymn, a collect and the 
usual benediction." 

III. 

THE LITURGIES OF SOUTH AND SOUTHWESTERN GERMANY. 

We come now to the consideration of what Harnack calls 
the Minorifdts Praxis, or the liturgies of south and south- 
western Germany. We find a very proper introduction in 
the words of Lohe. After giving in his first table a full 
comparative view of the liturgies of northern and central 
Germany, he presents a table which exhibits the full outlines 
of a number of the liturgies of south and southwestern Ger- 
many, or in his own language, " exhibits orders of the chief 

divine service in more independent form." He then pro- 
16 



242 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ceeds : " If the first table presents the principle of uniting 
love, and freedom within the same, the second shows the 
principle of Christian freedom with all unity in doctrine. If 
the tendency of the north and east and southeast is reflected 
in the first table, so we find in the second that of the west and 
southwest. If the filial attachment not only to Luther's 
fundamental principles, but also to his example, shows itself 
more in the former, in the latter one sees, to the great glory 
of true evangelical unity, which does not rest upon liturgies 
(see ' it is enough,' Article VII., Augs. Con.), a principle of 
the Evangelical Church, which fixes attention upon the fun- 
damentals, but is indifferent about voluntary forms. If in 
the former more thought, more order, more art and beauty 
prevail, in the latter a satisfaction with the main substance 
and the one thing which is needful is more apparent. In the 
last characteristic, by fidelity in Lutheran fundamentals, not 
less than by freedom, is especially distinguished the peculiar 
liturgy of the peculiar congregation of Andorff (Antwerp), 
which was published in 1567. Moreover, that in this collec- 
tion a preference is given to the first class of liturgies, which, 
also, so far as the author can see, is the richer, is as little to 
be wondered at as the assertion that it is that which repre- 
sents the real German Lutheran Reformation in liturgy, and 
strengthens the consciousness of the catholicity of the Evan- 
gelical Church in regard to the proper measure of the 
liturgy." * 

Kliefoth says that these southwestern German liturgies 
" are fairly well characterized by calling them an abbrevia- 
tion of the full Lutheran service." f On page 99 of the same 
work he finds the chief difference between this type and that 
of northern and central Germany in the fact that the litur- 
gies of this type generally order the Lord's Supper to be 
celebrated in the cities every month, in the villages every two 
months, or so often as there are communicants, and order 

* Sammlung, Drittes Heft, p. 6. 

t Die urspriingliche Gottesdienstordnung, p. 29. 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 243 

that on such occasions the sermon shall be a Communion 
sermon. But not even in these particulars are they uniform. 

Some of these liturgies are very simple, like the liturgies 
of the Reformed; others approximate more closely in full- 
ness and in the number of parts to the Lutheran liturgies of 
northern and central Germany. In their origin they are 
entirely free from Reformed influence.* Also, as a " more 
independent form," they are largely free from the liturgical 
reformation at Wittenberg. 

Already in 1522 Matthew Alber, pastor at Reutlingen, re- 
forrned the Mass. Brentz discontinued the Roman Catholic 
Mass at Swabian Hall in 1523. Wolfgang Volprecht began 
to celebrate the Lord's Supper in German at Nuremberg in 
1524. These, with many other pastors and theologians of 
southwestern Germany, had received Luther's doctrine of 
the Lord's Supper as against that of Zwingli, as is shown by 
the celebrated Swabian Syngramma/i composed by fourteen 

* Prof. Palmer, writing of the liturgy of Wiirtemburg, says : "The 
liturgy is so reduced to that which is most essential, that it even con- 
tains less than the Calvinistic worship ; since, according to the latter, on 
Sunday before the morning sermon the Ten Commandments are read 
and a general confession is held. But it would be a false inference if 
one were to refer such simplicity to Reformed influence on the organi- 
zation of the Church of this country. It is independent, and sprang up 
on Swabian territory, as a fruit of a characteristic opposition of the 
people to the entire matter of forms, in regard to which it was feared 
that so soon as they should become fixed, in undue length, they would 
result in a mechanical externality, and be no more the true expression 
of that which at the moment the heart felt. It was Matthew Alber who 
first at Reutlingen reduced the liturgy to the necessary minimum. 
Thence it passed over to Stuttgart and into the country, and the rigid 
Lutherans, Schnepf, Brentz, Andrea, made no objection to it: Proof 
enough that with the acceptance of Lutheran doctrine, they were not at 
all willing to surrender their individual preferences." Jahrbiicher fiir 
Deutsche Theologie, 1866, p. 116. 

t On the sixteenth of November, 1524, Zwingli addressed a strictly 
private letter to Matthew Alber, in which he set forth his views of the 
Lord's Supper, basing them principally on the sixth chapter of John's 
Gospel. This letter and Oecolampadius, Liber de Sacra Coena, were the 
direct occasion .of the Syngramma, dated October 21st, 1525, which 
in the edition before us covers forty-four quarto pages. Though it ex- 



244 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Swabian divines. Brentz sought especially to restore the in- 
stitution of the Lord's Supper to its original simplicity " as 
it was appointed by Christ and administered in the ancient 
Church." With this end in view he composed his liturgy of 
1526. 

In 1536 Schnepf and Blaurer composed the " Little Wiir- 
temberg," after they had agreed on a rigid statement of 
Lutheran doctrine.* This order, which was approved by 
Brentz exhibits Blaurer's tendency in some ecclesiastical 
features towards greater simplicity. 

In 1543 Brentz prepared a liturgy for Swabian Hall. Its 
full outline is as follows : 

Introit. After the Collect, a Gradual, Alleluia, or Se- 
quence. The Gospel. The Nicene Creed. Communion with 
German Exhortation, Consecration, and Distribution, the 
scholars meanwhile singing the Sancfus. Creed in German, 
or a spiritual song. Sermon. General Pra3^er. Alms. Ger- 
man song. 

Daniel classes this with " the genuine old Lutheran lit- 
urgy." 

In 1553 Brentz composed the ''Great Wiirtemberg " 
Church Order, in wliich he restored some of the features 

pressly denies oral manducation and eating the body of Christ by the 
ungodly, Luther regarded it as so excellent a defence of his doctrine of 
the Lord's Supper, that when it was translated into German, he edited 
it with two laudatory prefaces, and again in a letter, dated September 
13th, 1527, declares that it contains his views. De Wette, III., p. 202. 

The following statement of Dr. Ebrard, the distinguished Reformed 
historian and dogmatician, is remarkable alike for its candor and its 
fidelity to facts : " The Reformation of Zurich, and the eastern Cantons 
in Switzerland, originated from a stock entirely different from that of 
Germany. It is true that the activity of Zwingli, at first, extended far 
into South Germany, but his influence there was entirely destroyed by 
the Syngrammatical controversy, and from 1524 onward, the Zwinglian 
Church of German Switzerland stood as an isolated member, by the side 
of the Church of the empire, viz., the Church of the Augsburg Confes- 
sion, and the accession to the Wittenberg Concord only produced mo- 
mentary interruption of this isolation." Reformirtes Kirchenbuch, Ein- 
leitung, translated in Mercersburg Review, 1850, p. 303; 

* See Bomberger's Kurtz's Church History, Vol. 11. , pp. 79, 82. 



FORMS OF I.UTHKRAN WORSHIP. 245 

omitted from that of 1536.* This Church Order, because of 
its intrinsic excellence and its rigid adherence to Lutheran 
doctrines, and through the great influence of Duke Christo- 
pher, became a model for many other countries and cities of 
southwestern Germany. The German writers select it as rep- 
resentative of its class. Our translation of its liturgy is 
made ivom a Frankfort reprint of 1564. It is also found re- 
printed in Daniel's Codex Liturgicus (Vol. II.), and in 
Richter's Kirchenordnungen (Vol. 11. ). 

THE GREAT WURTEMBERG, 1553- 

ORDER OF THE SUPPER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

In the first place, in the principal cities the Supper of 
Christ shall be held every month, and, if possible, every four- 
teen days — yea, as often and as frequently as there may be 
communicants (especially on Sundays and other festivals 
which are observed in the Church) , who have reported them- 
selves as directed above. The ministers also shall earnestly 

* The great Wiirtemberg Order restored Private Confession and 
Absolution, and the Chorrock. It gave more prominence to Church 
song, and made the Church year more complete. The liturgy proper of 
the Order of 1536, is actually fuller and more complete than that of 
I553> as the following outlines show : 

1536. I. Come, Holy Spirit, in German. 2. German Psalm. 3. Ser- 
mon. Not to exceed one hour, on week days a half hour. To preach 
on regular Gospels, and also through Gospels and Epistles in course. 
4. Creed in German. 5. Exhortation. 6. Confession, 7. Absolution. 
8. Lord's Prayer sung by the people. 9. Words of Institution said by 
the minister standing behind the altar with his face to the people. 10. 
Distribution while the Sanctus or other appropriate hymn is sung, the 
bread being given at one part of the altar, the wine at the other. 11. Col- 
lect for worthy use. 12. Aaronic benediction. Ministers must take care 
that the service be not so long as to weary the people. 

1553. I. Song, Come, Holy Ghost, or another suitable to the season. 
2. Sermon on Gospel for day. 3. Creed. 4. Exhortation. 5. Collect, 
with reference to the Communion. 6. Lord's Prayer sung in German. 
7. Words of Institution. 8. Distribution with song. 9. Thanksgiving. 
10. Benediction. See Lutheran Church Review, 1882, p. 286; also the 
liturgies themselves in Richter's Kirchenordnungen, Thus it appears 
that Brentz's own work was in the direction of liturgical simplification. 



246 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

exhort the people, and dihgently point out to them the bene- 
fits and necessity of partaking of this sacrament, that they 
cheerfully and often attend upon it. 

When, therefore, the Lord's Supper is to be celebrated on 
a Sunday or some festival in the Church, let the service begin 
with the hymn, " Come, Holy Spirit," etc., " Now we pray 
the Holy Ghost," etc., or otherwise with a German Psalm, or 
any spiritual song suitable to the occasion. 

The usual sermon shall follow this hymn, in which, in ad- 
dition to the subject of the customary text of the Gospel, a 
short account shall be given of the use and benefits of the 
sacrament of the Holy Supper. 

After the sermon the Creed shall be sung in German. 

Thereupon the minister standing before the altar from 
which the Supper is to be administered, shall read to the 
congregation the following exhortation : 

EXHORTATION CONCERNING THE LORD's SUPPER. 

[Similar to that of the Brandenburg-Nuremberg, given 
above.] 

Then shall be read the following exhortation to public con- 
fession, together with the same Confession and Absolution 
included above under the chapter concerning Repentance, 
immediately after which the following written prayer shall 
be offered, thus : 

LET us PRAY. 

Almighty God, Heavenly Father, forasmuch as we cannot 
be pleasing to thee, save alone through thy beloved Son, our 
Lord, do thou sanctify us in body and soul, and grant us, 
that with truly believing desire and thankfulness, we may 
in his Holy Supper receive saving fellowship with him, to 
the end that once more comforted by thy everlasting good- 
ness and love toward us, and confirmed in newness of life, 
we may live and serve, with more diligence and fear, to the 
praise of thy holy name and the edification of thy people, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 247 

Thereupon the congregation shall sing the Lord's Prayer 
together in German. 

Then shall the minister, after having placed the bread and 
wine before himself for the Lord's Supper, read with clear 
and distinct voice the words of institution of the Supper as 
they are delivered by the Evangelists and St. Paul. For al- 
though the exhortation previously read necessarily includes 
the institution of the Supper, together with the declaration 
of the death of Christ and its benefits (the congregation 
would also be sufficiently reminded and instructed that the 
bread and wine now present were blessed and set apart for 
the reception of the true body and blood of Christ by the 
first institution of our Lord Jesus Christ), yet, because the 
words of the holy Evangelists and of St. Paul, concerning 
the Supper of Christ, constitute the parts of the Supper of 
Christ in an appropriate, brief and orderly summary, there- 
fore, in administering the Supper they must not be omitted, 
but shall be read openly and intelligibly as follows : 

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION FOR THE LORD's SUPPER. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ in the night ... in remembrance 
of me. 

Then immediately the people shall approach in an orderly 
manner, and at one side of the altar receive the body of 
Christ, and at the other side the blood of Christ, especially 
when the number of communicants is large, and two minis- 
ters are engaged in the administration of the sacrament. 

Notwithstanding that both the bread and wine used for 
the true Supper, have been appropriately set apart in the 
institution of Christ, which was read beforehand in the 
exhortation, and afterwards repeated, and therefore but 
few more words are needed, yet for a more lively remem- 
brance, the minister, in presenting the body and blood of 
Christ, may use to each communicant words like the follow- 
ing: 

Take and eat. This is the body of Christ which is given 
for you. 



248 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Take and drink. This is the blood of Christ which is shed 
for thy sins. 

While the people are coming to the Supper and are com- 
muning, the congregation shall sing : 

To God be grateful praise and blessing, 
Who by his hand hath fed us. 

Or, 

Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

Or, 

Any other spiritual Hymn of praise suitable to the occa- 
sion. 

When the Supper of Christ has been administered to all 
the communicants, the minister shall offer one of the follow- 
ing prayers : 

THANKSGIVING AFTER THE COMMUNION. 

Let us pray. 

[Here follow two brief thanksgiving collects.] 

Then shall we conclude the Supper with the benediction. 

BENEDICTION. 

[Here follow three forms of benediction.] 

A stud}^ of the class of Lutheran liturgies of which the one 
just given is truly representative, leads to the following con- 
clusions: (a) They are thoroughly Lutheran in doctrine. 
Nowhere is the Lutheran doctrine of the Lord's Supper 
stated in mare positive and emphatic terms than in these 
southwestern German liturgies. The same can be said in 
regard of the treatment of all other Lutheran doctrines, for 
these southwestern German Church orders, like those of 
northern Germany, usually contain sections on the Cate- 
chism, Baptism, Church Government, etc. They also, like 
those of northern Germany, plant themselves unequivocally 
on the Lutheran confessional writings, (b) The liturgies of 
this class give relatively greater prominence to preaching, 
thus more fully carrying out the Lutheran principle that 
preaching is the most important part of divine worship and 



FORMS OF LUTHERAN WORSHIP. 249 

the chief means of grace. Already in his first Order (1526) 
Brentz declared that '' on the whole earth nothing more holy, 
edifying, comforting and fruitful can be found than the pure 
preaching of God's Word with the proper understanding and 
faith." (c) They are a " more independent form " of the 
Lutheran reformation of worship, that is, they omit, through 
the free choice of their composers, several parts usually 
found in the liturgies of northern Germany, thus as Harnack 
says: ''Joining on to the German Mass," and more fully 
carrying out Luther's idea of simplicity in worship, (d) 
They furnish the most convincing proof of the confessional 
principle of the Lutheran Church, that ecclesiastical unity is 
not to be sought in ceremonies or Church usages, but alone 
in doctrine.'^ 

They are true Lutheran liturgies, in the sense that they 
were made by men and used by churches professing unqual- 
ifiedly the Lutheran doctrine. If here and there, after the 

* Dr. Palmer, professor of homiletics and liturgies at Tubingen, de- 
clared : " It is worthy of remark that it never occurred to any one 
(least of all to Luther himself) to set up a uniform liturgy for the 
entire Lutheran Church, but in all unity of spirit and fundamental 
forms every country and every imperial city retained its own order. 
Therefore, even Wiirtemberg was not regarded as an un-Lutheran 
country, notwithstanding that already in the Little Order (1536), and 
after the Interim, which stirred up hatred against all Catholic forms, 
and in the Great Order (1553), the liturgy was reduced to the greatest 
simplicity, so that in forms it was even simpler than the Calvinistic." 
(Herzog, Real-Encyc, Art. Liturgy), See Griineisen : Die Evangelische 
Gottesd. in den Oberd. Landen, pp. 24, 30. Also Hiiffell's Der Evangel- 
ische Geistliche : " The Reformers were guided chiefly by two funda- 
mental principles : i. That the external worship does not in and of itself 
commend to God. 2. That the preaching of the Gospel is the chief thing. 
After the convention at Augsburg the Protestants declared themselves 
prepared to retain external ceremonies, provided the essence of religion 
were not sought therein. At the Smalcald Convention it was resolved 
to introduce into the Church uniform usages, but the same year, at a 
Convention at Frankfort, this resolution was rescinded, because it 
seemed contradictory to Protestant freedom. (See Plank's Hist. Prot. 
Theology, 6:126, 201). Fundamental principles, which must certainly 
be honored when the nature of Christian worship is clearly compre- 
hended, and the difference between external and internal worship is 
understood," Second Vol., p. iii. 



250 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

middle of the sixteenth century, they united some shght 
features of the Reformed Hturgy, this was done by free 
choice, and it was never thought or said that the men who 
composed them, or the churches which used them, had in 
any sense departed from the Lutheran principles of worship, 
or had violated the law of freedom in the use of ceremonies. 
They exhibit the Minoritdts Praxis and an abbreviation of 
the fuller liturgies of northern and central Germany, in 
which, as may be conceded, " more thought, more order, 
more art and beauty prevail." 

And now, if we take a survey of the entire field of the 
Lutheran liturgies, we w^ll see the justness of Lohe's obser- 
vations : '' Luther held fast the principles of liberty above 
everything; he accounted all ceremonies as adiaphora." And 
again, '' This principle of liberty the- Evangelical Church 
has not at any time suffered herself to be deprived of. They 
did not seek in uniformity of ceremonies, as to-day is so 
often done, a means of establishing unity of spirit." (Italics, 
Lohe's own.) ''There are liturgies of the Evangelical 
Church, which closely follow Luther's example in his litur- 
gical writings, and remain conformed to the Roman Mass. 
Most of the liturgies of northern and northeastern Ger- 
m.any belong to this class. In other sections, namely, the 
south and southwest, they departed quite from Luther, took 
their own coiirse, and in ceremonies proceeded in a Re- 
formed manner, without, on that account, being deprived 
of unity in spirit and confession. For the first class of litur- 
gies the following first table speaks ; for the second, the fol- 
lowing second table. Yea, how free they felt themselves in 
connection with a decided unity in doctrine, even the litur- 
gies of the first class and first table show satisfactorily. The 
position of the Creed (Ott Heinr., 1556), of the Agnus 
(Braun-schw.-Wolfenb., 1543; Erich, 1542), of the Lord's 
Prayer, Consecration, General Confession, Exhortation and 
the Sanctus (Pfalzgr. Ludw., 1577), varies. The Preface 
is frequently omitted ; often it is used only at festivals. The 



FORMS OF I.UTHKRAN WORSHIP. 25 1 

Gospel (cf. Hohenlohe, 1688, Wild u. Rheingr, 1693, but 
also already Pfalzgr. Ludw., 1577, Ulm, 1656; in another 
way Veit Dietr., Rothenb., 1668, etc.). Yea, even the dis- 
tribution words of the consecrated elements in the Supper 
(Schleswig-Holst., 1542; Wolfenbiittel, 1545) were here 
and there omitted."* 

The second table, to which Lohe alludes, contains the lit- 
urgies of Baden (1556), Andorff (1567), Hanau (1573), 
Worms (1582), Strassburg (1598), Hohenlohe (1688). 
From this table we transcribe the Baden and Worms. 

Baden, 1556. Worms, 1582. 

Nun bitten wir, etc., od. deutscher 

Psalm Litanei des chors. 

Predigt mit Anhang vom Gebrauch 

des Sacraments Auf der Kanzel : 3 Collecten, die 

erste um Vergebung der Siinden. 

Credo Nun bitten wir, etc., oder Festlied. 

Vermahnung Predigt. 

Gebet. 

Gemeine Beichte Gemein Gebet mit Fiirbitten. 

Vater unser Vater unser. 

Vermahnung. 

Consecration Offene Beichte. 

Absolution. 
Ermahnung. 
Consecration. 
Austheilung, Wahrend welcher man 

singt : Gott sei gelobet, etc Austheilung, Wahrend welcher 

Gesang und Zum Schlusz das 
Danksagen wir alle, etc. 
Jesus Christ, unser, etc. 

Gebet Gebet. 

Segen Segen. 

In the first half of the eighteenth century the Lutheran 
liturgies remained essentially as they had been in the two 
preceding centuries. But in the latter half of the eighteenth 
century (Aufklarungs periode) worship as well as theology 
was influenced by the philosophy of the times. Clausen 
thus describes the efl^ect of the period on worship: ''At a 
time like the close of the eighteenth century, when the Kant- 
* Sammlung, Drittes Heft, pp. 29, 30. 



252 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ian philosophy had the ascendency in all spiritual matters, 
when the understanding asserted undue preponderance over 
the imagination, and reflection over feeling, the liturgy had 
to enter into as perverted a relation to dogmatics as poetry 
to logic, and in all the services of the Church, the liturgical 
spirit had to suffer under the anti-poetical spirit. The work 
of revision was content with scarcely less than a new crea- 
tion, for men were blind to the excellences of the old litur- 
gies as well as to their defects. The good was rejected with 
the bad (mit dem schlechten) ; the poetic buskin was ex- 
changed for the prosaic sock ; the rhythmic elegance was re- 
solved into the construction of diffuse periods, and the litur- 
gical swing was everywhere sacrificed." (Quoted in Dan- 
iel's Codex, Lib. II., p. 163.) 

But the nineteenth century has witnessed a revival of 
churchly spirit in Germany, and has led to the restoration in 
the main of the historic usages of the Church. In northern 
and central Germany the liturgies exhibit about the fullness 
and form of those of the second class in this chapter, but 
there is no uniformity of practice. In southwestern Ger- 
many the ancient simplicity still prevails. 



CHAPTER X. 

ANALYSIS AND EXPOSITION OF THE LUTHERAN CHIEF 
SERVICE. 

Kliefoth " gives an exhibition of the Christmas Com- 
munion Service as contained in the revised Mecklenburg- 
order of 1602.'' "^ He regards this order as representative 
of the Lutheran orders, and as holding a middle ground 
among the orders of the extreme type. We translate in full 
as follows : 

Christmas service as held in cities according to 
THE Mecklenburg Revised Order. 

Choir: Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and 
the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name 
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor. He shall declare 
unto you great joy which shall be unto all people; for unto 
you a Saviour is born to-day who is Christ the Lord. Sing 
unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvelous 
things ! 

Choir and Congregation: Glory be to the Father, and to 
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, 
is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

Choir and Congregation sing the Kyrie. 

Preacher: Glory be to God on high ! 

Choir and Congregation sing the hymn, " To God alone 
on high be glory." 

Preacher: The Lord be with you. 

Choir: And with thy spirit. 

Preacher: Help, dear Lord God, that we may be and abide 
partakers of the new human birth of thy Son, and may be 

* Die Ursprungliche Gottesdienstordnung, pp. 145, 252-4. 
(253) 



254 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

delivered from our old sinful birth through the same thy Son 
Jesus Christ. 

Choir and Congregation: Amen. 

Preacher reads the Epistle, Isa. ix. 2-y. 

Choir and Congregation sing the hymn, " Blessed be 
Thou, Jesus Christ." 

Preacher reads the Gospel, Luke ii. 1-14. 



Preacher: I believe in one God alone. 

Choir and congregation sing the hymn, '' We all believe in 
one God." (Wir glauben all an einen Gott.) 

Sermon, which closes with general prayer. 

The Choir and Congregation sing the hymn, ''A little 
Child so lovely." 

Preacher: The Lord be with you! 

Choir: And with thy spirit ! 

Preacher: Lift up your hearts on high! 

Choir: We lift them up unto the Lord. 

Preacher: Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God ! 

Choir: It is meet and right so to do. 

Preacher: It is truly meet, right and salutary that we 
should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, 
O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty Everlasting God, for by the 
mystery of the incarnate Word, the new light of thy glory 
has shined unto the eyes of our mind, so that, by knowing 
God visibly, we may come to the knowledge of the invisible 
God. Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all 
the heavenly host, we sing the praise of thy glory, evermore 
saying : 

Choir and Congregation sing the German Sanctus. 

Preacher reads the Exhortation to communicants. 



Preacher chants the Lord's Prayer. 
Choir and Congregation: Amen. 



I.UTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE. 255 

Preacher chants the words of institution. 

Communion, during which the 

Choir and Congregation, according to the number of 
communicants, sing one or more communion hymns ; yet at 
the close of the communion 

Choir and Congregation sing '' Christ, Thou Lamb of 
God." 



Preacher: Thank the Lord, for he is good. 

Choir: And his mercy endureth forever. 

Preacher: We thank thee, Ahnighty Lord God, that thou 
hast refreshed us by these salutary gifts of the true body and 
blood of Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord. 

Choir and Congregation: Amen. 

Preacher: The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : The Lord 
make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee : 
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee 
peace. 

Choir and Congregation: Amen. 

Choir and congregation at the close : '' Keep us, Lord, by 
thy word," or '' Grant us peace graciously." 

As this is the communion service for one of the chief fes- 
tivals of the Church year, it is full and elaborate, quite be- 
yond the average of Lutheran services, as will appear by 
comparing it with the Brandenburg-Nuremberg, Saxon, and 
other standard liturgies given in a preceding chapter. But 
the full and detailed form in which this service is given will 
aid the reader to understand the following analysis and 
exposition. 



The Lutheran Chief Divine Service (Haupt Gottesdienst) 
is divided into two distinct general parts : The Word Group, 
or Homiletical Part; and the Eucharist, or Sacramental 
Part. 'These general parts are subdivided each into three 
sections. 



256 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

A. THE FIRST CHIEF PART. 

THE WORD GROUP. 

I. SECTION. 

INTROIT. KYRIE. GLORIA. 

I. The Introit or Opening Hymn. 

The first section of the first chief part begins with the In- 
troit, or a suitable opening hymn. Sometimes this is pre- 
ceded by the Veni Sancte Spiritus, or the German Kom, 
Heiliger Geist, or the Benedictus (Luke i. 68), the Te Deum, 
or, in a few cases, by the Confiteor, that is, the ministerial 
Confession and formal Absolution. But these parts do not 
belong to the typical Lutheran service. They have been 
prefixed to the chief service in a few cases for the purpose 
of introducing it. The Confiteor is a remnant of the Prepar- 
atio ad Missam.^ 

The canonical Introit, complete according to its historical 
form, consists of the (Scripture) verse, the (Psalm) verse, 
and the Gloria Potri. But instead of the Introit very fre- 
quently the chief service opens with a spiritual hymn or 
German Psalm. This is very generally the order where 
there is no trained choir and when there is no communion. 
The ofiice of the Introit is to introduce the blessings of the 
day and to give direction to the service that follows. One 
single Introit generally served for the Advent season, and 
one for each of the chief festivals The principle seems to 
have been that it is better to have the people learn a few 

* " The first group of the first chief part (Word- Act) consists of the 
Introit, Kyrie, Gloria. In/ the ' Ordeninge' der Misse' and the Kirchen- 
ordnung of 1552 this was preceded by the Preparatio ad Missam, re- 
tained from the Roman Missal, and consisting of an act of Confession 
and Absolution performed by the priest and the assistants, introduced 
by the Adjutorium — 'Our help is in the name of the Lord' (Ps. cxxiv. 
8), to which the people listened while engaged in silent prayer. Rightly 
do the majority of Lutheran liturgies and the Revised Order of 1602 set 
aside this Preparatio ad Missam and begin the divine service with the 
Introit." Bachmann's Der Lit. Aufbau, page 12. 



LUTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE. 257 

Introits than to be confused by many. The Kirchengesange, 
in which the entire service is set to music (the Spangenberg 
and Zweibriicken, for instance), show conchisively that the 
Benedichis, the Veni Sancte Spiritus, and other hymns and 
Psahiis, were quite generally used instead of the Introit, and 
that as a matter of fact only a very small number of the 
canonical Introits were used in the Lutheran service. 

The Gloria Patri has been traced to Isa. vi. 3 and Luke 
ii. 14. Its trinitarian form is traceable to the baptismal for- 
mula in Matt, xxviii. 19. Clement of Alexandria refers to 
the use of this hymn under the form: *' Giving glory to the 
one Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost." It was 
inserted in the earliest liturgies in opposition to the Arians, 
and has kept its place in public worship as a suitable popular 
confession of the doctrine of the Trinity. 

2. The Kyrie Eleison. The Kyrie goes back to Psalm li. 
3, which in the Septuagint is 'EXerjadv jue, 6 ^edg and to Matt. xv. 
25, 'E?.E?ia6v /Lte^Kvpiel It is the cry of the congregation to the 
Lord for mercy.* Kliefoth, Layriz and others regard it as 
essentially a confession of sin. Lohe prefers to treat it as a 
cry of distress. In the Roman Mass it is employed nine 
times ; in the Lutheran liturgies, three times, thus : Kyrie 
Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison — left untranslated 
both in the Roman and Lutheran services, out of reverence, 
it is thought, for the original Greek, and as a '* sign of the 
universality of the Church's prayers." 

3. The Gloria in Excelsis. " The Gloria at length gives 
the answer from heaven to the confessional prayer [the 
Kyrie] of the congregation — hence essentially that which is 
aimed at by the general absolution, a declaration of salva- 
tion which is appropriated by the congregation, which takes 
up and completes the hymn of praise begun by the liturgy." 
Layriz. 

The Gloria in Excelsis, sometimes called " The Angelic 
Hymn," '' The Great Doxology," '' The Greater Gloria," to 

* Brentz called the Kyrie an earnest, humble prayer, and thought the 
congregation should kneel while it is sung. 
17 



258 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP 

distinguish it from the Gloria Patri, is founded on Luke 
ii. 14. Telesphorus, Roman Bishop, 125-135 A. D., intro- 
duced into the Christmas-night Communion service the 
words : '' Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace 
to men of good will." It is quoted by Athanasius in his 
treatise o" -Virginity, but is thought to have been brought 
to about its present form by Hilary of Poictiers. " Sym- 
machus. Bishop of Rome, A. D. 500, definitely appropriated 
the angelic hymn to its present use in the eucharistic thanks- 
giving, placing it at the beginning of the Communion office " 
(Blunt). At first the Lutheran Church retained it in the 
Latin form, the minister chanting Gloria in Excelsis; the 
choir and people, Et in terra, etc., whence the hymn is often 
called the Et in Terra. Later the Latin form was generally 
supplanted by the German hymn, "Allein Gott in der Hohe 
sei Ehre/' Some of the old liturgies order that it '' shall 
be sung sometimes in Latin and sometimes in German." 

'' The purpose of this first section is to prepare the con- 
gregation for the gift of the Word of God. And this it 
does, in that as soon as the fact of the day is made known, 
it offers its confession as over against it, and then comforts 
itself with the greatness of the merciful God " (Kliefoth). 

II. SECTION. 
SALUTATION. COLLECT. EPISTLE. HYMN. GOSPEL. 

1. The Salutation. The salutation, "The Lord be with 
you," ''And with thy spirit," is omitted from both of 
Luther's liturgies, and frequently from other liturgies of 
northern and central Germany, and generally from those of 
south and southwestern Germany. When used it is intended 
to be a sign and token of the communion and peace which 
exist between believers, and introduces the collect. 

2. The Collect. "A prayer in which the leading specialty 
of a public service is collected into a few terse sentences." 
(Lee's Glossary.) Or: " It has the name collect either be- 
cause said when the people are congregated and collected 
together, or because it is collected in compendious brevity 



LUTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE. 259 

from select words of Holy Scripture and the Church." * 
Very many of the collects were composed by Gelasius and 
Gregory the Great, and as used in the Roman Mass are 
called Orationes Missales. The office of the collect at this 
place in the Lutheran service is to invoke the divine blessing 
on the Word which is about to be read. It opens with a di- 
rect address to God, contains but a single period and a single 
petition, which is made through the mediation of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

'' The Lutheran Church retained in her most ancient lit- 
urgies the custom of praying a collect de tempore before the 
Epistle. She arranged festival collects for the first half of 
the Church year, but made no provision for the second half, 
except to leave it to the ministers to select one of the com- 
mon collects according to the character of the Sunday " 
(Lohe's Liturgy, p. 11). 

Luther retained only one collect in each of his liturgies. 
The Brandenburg-Nuremberg (1533) has fifteen common 
collects, and one each for the festivals of Christmas, Passion 
of Christ, Easter, Ascension, Whitsunday, Trinity; one for 
the coming of God's kingdom, one for the doing of God's 
will, two Pro Pace. The Saxon (1539) has six common 
collects, and seven special, including two alternatives, for 
five festivals — thirteen in all. The Mecklenburg (1552- 
1554) and the Wittenberg (1559) have six common and 
seven festival collects. The Liineburg (1564) fifteen all told, 
five of which are alternatives. And so the standard liturgies 
generally. Only in the Austrian (1571), ''which closely 
follows the Roman Mass," do we find a separate collect for 
each Sunday and festival of the Church year. 

3. The Epistle. The Epistle is the Christian law, and 
corresponds to the section of the Mosaic law read in the 
service of the Jewish synagogue. The rubrics generally 
announce the Epistle in the most simple manner, saying with 
the Brandenburg-Nuremberg : *' Beloved, hear attentively 

* Daniel, Cod. Lit., I. p. 26. 



26o CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the first chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans ; " or as 
in the Brunswick (1528): "Thus writes St. Paul to the 
Romans in the tenth chapter; " or still more briefly as in the 
Saxon (1539), and many others, which merely indicate that 
the Epistle or an Epistle is to be read. Luther wrote : " The 
person who selected the Epistles seems to have been a re- 
markably unlearned and superstitious friend of works, since 
duty required that those should be selected in greater meas- 
ure whereby faith in Christ is taught." He probably did not 
fully appreciate its relation as law, though in its Christian 
form, to the Gospel which is soon to follow. 

4. Hymn (Zzvischengesang). This is the joyful response 
of the congregation to the Epistle. Here the greatest variety 
of usage prevails, as between a Hallelujah, a gradual, a se- 
quence, a Psalm or a hymn. 

We note the usage of standard liturgies : The Mecklen- 
burg (1552-1554) and the Wittenberg (1559) order a se- 
quence or a hymn as the time may require. The Pomer- 
anian (1568) orders a tractus, a Hallelujah with gradual; 
on Sunday, simply a German Psalm. The Saxon (1539) a 
sequence or a Psalm or a hymn. The Calenberg (1542) a 
Hallelujah or sequence. The Liineburg (1564) a sequence 
or Hallelujah. And with equal variety the liturgies gener- 
ally. 

Hallelujah, hymn, Psalm, need no explanation. Tractus 
is so named from traho, to draw, because it is drawn out in 
slow and solemn strain. ''At the time at which the Church 
is commemorating the Passion of our Lord this tract is 
slowly chanted in lieu of the joyous gradual " (Lee's Glos- 
sary). Gradual receives its name from the place at which it 
is sung, viz., on the steps of the pulpit, or possibly from the 
circumstance that it is sung while the deacon goes up the 
steps (gradus) to the place where the Gospel is read — the 
left side of the pulpit. Sequence — from sequor, I follow — 
at first a prolongation of the Alleluia which followed the 
Epistle; then a hymn of praise following the Epistle, in 



LUTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE. 26 1 

which the leading features of a festival, or of the Lord's day, 
are earnestly presented. 

5. The Gospel. The Gospel corresponds to the prophetic 
section in the service of the Jewish synagogue. It an- 
nounces to the congregation the grace of God in the person 
of Christ, through whom the congregation is restored to the 
divine favor. The Lutheran liturgies of all classes, perhaps 
without a single exception, retain the Gospel at this place, 
and order it to be read without the '' Glory be to Thee, O 
Lord," which preceded the reading of the Gospel in the 
Roman service. 

The rubric here is very simpk, as in the Mecklenburg 
and Wittenberg : '' Then the priest reads the Gospel ; " or 
still more simply, as: ''Then the Gospel." But never ex- 
cept in the solitary case of the Pomeranian (1568) is the 
reading or singing of the Gospel followed by the '' Glory be 
to thee, O Christ," as is the custom in the Roman Mass. 
But from the reading of the Gospel the minister passes with- 
out interruption to the Credo, which begins the third section 
of the homiletical part. 

'' The second section contains also the same elements as 
the first, namely, the proclamation of the fact of salvation, 
the fear of the conscience and the reconciliation, but as in a 
different form, so also in an inverse order. In the first sec- 
tion the fear of the conscience is roused by the grace of God 
and comes to the reconciliation in the love of God. In the 
second section the reconciled heart ventures its prayer, lays 
hold of the assuring Word of the Lord with praise and joy, 
and receives the message of salvation ; with this also comes 
a point of rest: the Lord has given his Word, and it is the 
part of the congregation to receive it." * 

III. SECTION. 
CREED. SERMON. HYMN. 

I. The Creed. ''With few exceptions the confession of 
faith remains between the Gospel and the sermon, and has 
*Kliefoth, p. 158. 



262 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the following signification : the Gospel of the day is only a 
single part of the entire Gospel. This part, the sermon is to 
explain, and the people are to receive. But only this special 
part of the faith is explained, and only according to the an- 
alogy of the faith. For this reason the congregation briefly 
recalls the entire summary of the faith. The necessary con- 
sequence is that both the preacher who explains, and the con- 
gregation which receives, must repeat the summary of the 
faith" (Kliefoth, p. 161). 

The recitation of the Creed in the eucharistic service was 
begun at Antioch in 471. Its introduction into the Western 
Church was gradual, but the use became general. In the 
Roman service the priest intones : Credo in umtni Deum, and 
the choir responds, Patrem Omnipotentem. The very same 
custom prevailed in many of the Lutheran liturgies. Hence, 
the Patrem means the Nicene, that is, the Niceno-Constan- 
tinopoiitan Creed of the year 381. Sometimes the choir was 
ordered to sing the Creed in Latin, and the people to sing it 
afterwards in the versified form, Wir glauben. Sometimes 
only the versified form was ordered. Then the minister 
would intone, " Ich glaube an einen Gott allein," and the 
congregation would respond with " Wir glauben all an einen 
Gott," etc. While the congregation is singing, the minister 
goes into the pulpit. The versification of the Creed in the 
form, " Wir glauben," etc., is the work * of Luther, and has 
been rendered into English as follows : 

I. We all believe in one true God, 

Maker of the earth and heaven, 
The Father who to us the power 

To become his sons hath given, k 

He will us at all times nourish. 

Soul and body guard us, guide us, 
Mid all harms will keep and cherish, 

That no ill shall e'er betide us. 
He watches o'er us day and night; 
All things are governed by his might. 

^xA-s early as the year 1525. 



LUTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE. 263 

2, And we believe in Jesus Christ, 

Lord and Son of God confessed, 
From everlasting days with God, 

In equal power and glory bless'd ; 
By the Holy Ghost conceived. 

Born of Mary, Virgin mother, 
That to lost men who believ'd. 

He should Saviour be and brother ; 
Was crucified, and from the grave 
Through God is risen, strong to save. 

3. We in the Holy Ghost believe, 

Who with Son and Father reigneth, 
One true God, He, the Comforter, 

Feeble souls with gifts sustaineth. 
All his saints, in every nation, 

With one heart this faith receiving, 
From all sin obtain salvation, 

From the dust of death reviving. 
These sorrows past, there waits in store 
For us, the life forevermore. 

2. The Sermon. The sermon is generally on the Gospel 
for the day. Sometimes it includes an instruction on the 
Lord's Supper, and some of the liturgies order that a Com- 
munion sermon shall be preached whenever the Communion 
is to be held. The sermon is the central point of the whole 
worship, either with or without Communion, since the Luth- 
eran Church allows and holds chief divine services (Haupt- 
gottesdienste) in which there is no Communion, but never 
those in which there is no preaching or teaching of the di- 
vine Word. 

The concurrent teaching of the Lutheran liturgies on the 
subject of preaching is ,thus presented by Funk : '' To the 
preaching of the Word by the prophets God had already 
joined the promise of rich blessing. By the living Word 
and the public teaching, Christ and his Apostles spread the 
Gospel. The Apostle Paul turned over the office of teaching 
particular^ to the men whom he appointed leaders and pas- 
tors, and bound it upon them with a strict oath of conscience 
(2 Tim. iv.). Preaching as the audible voice of the Gospel, 
the same Apostle (Rom. x.) explains as the way of living 



264 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

faith to the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, therefore to 
salvation. Hence the Evangelical Church not only brought 
the sermon into use again, but brought it to the highest and 
most important part of the worship of the congregation, to 
the chief place and centre." * And in a note explaining the 
above : '' This position of the sermon in evangelical wor- 
ship, as likewise the neglect of it in the papal Church, is the 
result of the foundation-view of the Church's faith. By 
means of the doctrine of satisfaction the sacrifice became 
established as the chief idea of the papal worship, and hence 
the Mass, the chiei part. The foundation of the evangelical 
doctrine is the living faith, and since this is wrought through 
the preaching of the Gospel, that is the chief part of the con- 
gregational worship." 

vSince the sermon is central, all that has gone before points 
to it. With it all that follows must be in harmony. 

3. The Hymn (Predigtlied). In the great majority of 
the liturgies the Predigtlied follows the sermon immediately, 
and must be such as to give it a fitting conclusion. When 
there is no Communion, the sermon generally is followed by 
the litany, or a Psalm, or a hymn and the benediction. A 
general prayer is frequently made after the sermon. 

B. THE SECOND CHIEF PART. 

THE EUCHARIST. 

I. SECTION. 

SALUTATION. PREFACE. SANCTUS. EXHORTATION. 

I. The Salutation. — The Salutation, " The Lord be with 
you," ''And with thy spirit," and the Sursum Corda — " Lift 
up your hearts," " We lift them up unto the Lord " — belongs 
essentially to the Preface, and introduces it. Hence when 
the Preface is omitted, as is the case in Luther's German 
Mass, in the liturgies of southwest Germany generally, and 
in many others, the Salutation and the Sursum Corda are 
omitted. 

* Kirchenordnung, p. y^- 



LUTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE. 265 

2. The Preface. By means of the Preface the minister 
seeks to bring out the prayers and thanksgiving of the con- 
gregation, and to begin the preparation of the heart for the 
celebration of the great mystery of the Holy Communion. 

In very early times there was only one preface for all Sun- 
days and festivals. The number was gradually increased in 
the west, and about two hundred and fifty prefaces are 
found in the so-called Sacrainentarium Leonimim " in part 
very verbose, and rnore like sermons than prayers." This 
great number was reduced by Gregory and perhaps by 
others. In the twelfth century the number was reduced to 
ten or eleven, one for each of the chief festivals called 
Proper, and one for the other Sundays called Common. 

This arrangement, but with the number still reduced, was 
preserved by those Lutheran liturgies which retained the 
preface. For instance in the Mecklenburg and Wittenberg 
series we find one common preface, and one for Nativity, 
Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity. In very many litur- 
gies of even the fuller and more rigid type, a rubric orders 
the omission of the preface when the time is short, or when 
the exhortation is employed. The Pomeranian directs that 
the preface may be said on festival days, if the time will 
allow. So likewise the Wittenberg (1533) ; but also that it 
may be omitted at pleasure. The Saxon permits it on festi- 
val days, or sometimes on Sunday. The directions are vari- 
ous, and the use of the Preface is, upon the whole, discour- 
aged rather than encouraged. 

3. The Sanctiis. The Sanctus is properly and histori- 
cally the conclusion of the Preface, and consists essentially of 
the Trisagion (Isa. vi. 3), the Hosanna and the Benedictus 
(Matt. xxi. 9). The hymn is a solemn act of adoration of 
the ever-blessed Trinity, and from very ancient times has 
been sung at the Communion by the choir and the people. 
In many of the old Lutheran liturgies, beginning with Luth- 
er's German Mass, it is sung during the distribution in the 
form beginning: '' Isaiah dem Propheten, des geschah." In 



266 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. ^ 

the Spangenberg Kirchengesange it is sung in this form im- 
mediately after the preface. The German Sanctus has been 
EngHshed by Dr. Massie as follows : 

These things the seer Isaiah did befall : 

In spirit he beheld the Lord of all, 

On a high throne raised up in splendor bright, 

His garment's border filled the choir with light. 

Beside him stood two Seraphim which had 

Six wings ; wherewith they both alike were clad. 

With twain they hid their shining face, with twain 

They hid their feet as with a flowing train, 

And withi the other twain they both did fly. 

One to the other thus aloud did cry : 

" Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth 

His glory filleth all the trembling earth :" 

With the loud cry the posts and thresholds shook, 

And the whole house was filled with mist and smoke. 

4. The Exhortation. The object of the exhortation is to 
stir up the minds and hearts of the communicants, that they 
may approach the Lord's table with proper reverence and 
true faith. The form most widely used is that of the Bran- 
denburg-Nuremberg (see above), which appeared already 
in Andrew Dobet's Spital Mass of 1525, and has Wolfgang 
Volprecht as its author. The paraphrase of the Lord's 
Prayer, with the exhortation of Luther's German Mass, was 
also frequently used. Other forms were used, some of which 
were copious and prolix. But the exhortation, however val- 
uable and important it may be in itself, has never been re- 
garded essential to the Communion service. It belongs 
properly to the preparatory service. Hence many of the old 
liturgies, recognizing its intrusive character, say, either in 
substance or literally with the Mecklenburg: ''If there be 
time the priest may read an exhortation, or when because of 
the shortness of the time the exhortation and the prefation 
have been omitted, immediately after the sermon the priest 
may sing the Lord's Prayer and the words of the Testa- 
ment." 



LUTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE. 267 

II. SECTION. 
lord's prayer. CONSECRATION. DISTRIBUTION. 

The Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer is intoned by the 
minister immediately after the exhortation, or where the 
preface and exhortation are omitted, immediately after the 
sermon, unless, as sometimes is the case, a hymn intervene. 
When the paraphrase is employed in the exhortation, as in 
Luther's German Mass, Spangenberg's Kirchengesange, and 
in other liturgies, there is no further employment of the 
Lord's Prayer.* 

The place of the Lord's Prayer in the Greek and Roman 
liturgies is after the words of institution. It cannot be re- 
garded as consecratory of the elements, but rather as con- 
secratory of the believers who are about to partake of the 
heavenly blessings, t This is especially shown from the 
place it holds in the Missal under the Prccparatio ad Com- 
miinionem, and in the oldest Reformation liturgies, which 
closely followed the Missal, as the Formula Missae, Bugen- 
hagen's (1524), Dober's (1525), Strassburg Kirchenamt 
(1524), Brandenburg-Nuremberg (1533) and in those 
which paraphrase it with the exhortation. In the Bugen- 
hagen series, Brunswick (1528), Hamburg (1529), Lubeck 
(1531), Pomeranian (1535), the Mecklenburg- Wittenberg 
series and in many liturgies of Southwest Germany, it is 
placed before the consecration. Lohe says : " Why the 
Lord's Prayer is generally placed before the words of insti- 
tution in the Evangelical Church, is not clear, since, as Cal- 
vor has shown, in early times the eucharistic prayers were 
said over the already consecrated elements, "t 

* Except in a few liturgies in which it is ordered to be sung after the 
Paraphrase. 

fin the First Wittenberg (1533), it is ordered: "After the hymn 
which is sung after the sermon, and sometimes also after the preface, 
as said, let the priest (minister) pray the Lord's Prayer for the entire 
congregation, and consecrate for the communicants with such singing as 
hereafter follows : 

" Our Father . . . deliver us from evil. Ecclesia respondet. Amen." 

t Sammlung, Drittes Heft, p. 24. 



268 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

In all the extant Latin liturgies, and the Lutheran, the 
doxology of the Lord's Prayer is omitted. In the liturgy of 
St. James it is expanded into a trinitarian shape : '' For thine 
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, 
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, now and forever." 

2. The Consecration. The words of institution are the 
proper words of consecration. In the consecration formula 
of the Greek and Roman liturgies, the words of institution 
are interpolated, and in the Roman the important words, 
" Which is given for you," are omitted. The Lutheran 
Church uses the verba ipsissima of the New Testament, 
which are intoned by the minister immediately after the 
Lord's Prayer, except where the prayer comes after the 
verba, in which case the consecration follows the exhorta- 
tion. In the Roman Mass the priest says the words of con- 
secration secretly, and by the words of consecration, accord- 
ing to the Roman Catholic doctrine, changes the elements 
into the body and blood of Christ. In the Lutheran conse- 
cration the verba are said with a loud voice, and the object 
is to set apart the bread and wine to the holy use of the 
Supper. It is never thought that by this act Christ unites 
himself with the elements. Hence, the elements are not to 
be carried about in procession, or adored. 

3. The Distribution. The distribution takes place imme- 
diately after the consecration, in both elements, " according 
to the institution of Christ and not otherwise." The men 
are ordered to go to the right side of the altar and the women 
to the left side, and to kneel. In a few instances one element 
is consecrated and distributed at a time. During the Com- 
munion the choir and people sing Agnus Dei (sometimes the 
Sanctus), Gotf sei gelobet, or if the number of communi- 
cants be large, a Psalm or other hymn. These express the 
praise with which the congregation hails the blessed Christ 
who satisfies his people with living bread. The words of 
distribution in the different liturgies vary, but those of the 
Brandenburg-Nuremberg are most frequently used. Some 
liturgies do not prescribe any words of distribution. 



I.UTHKRAN CHIEF SERVICE. 269 

III. SECTION. 
POST COMMUNION. 

The Post Commtmion comprises all that may follow the 
Agnus Dei, or whatever is sung during Communion. The 
use is exceedingly varied. " By far the greater number of 
the liturgies have here, according to our scheme, the versicle, 
the thanksgiving collect (which is called the Post Commun- 
ion), the benediction and the final hymn. The versicles indi- 
cated in the appendix are, without exception, those appointed 
by the liturgies for all the days of worship. The following 
variations are noted : some important liturgies have before 
the versicle also the salutation. It comes not only before the 
versicle, but also before the benediction. The versicle is 
wanting in many liturgies. In a very few the salutation, the 
versicle and the collect are omitted, and the congregation 
sings instead. Nun danket Alle Gott, whereupon follows the 
benediction. On the contrary a few others omit the benedic- 
tion, and instruct the congregation to sing : ' Es wolle Gott 
uns gnadig sein.' It seldom happens that this whole section 
consists only of the benediction and the final hymn. A few 
more have between the collect and the benediction, the Bene- 
dicamus, that is, the minister intones Benedicamus Domino, 
and the choir responds, Deo dicamus Gracias/' * 

Still further the liturgies are divided into two classes in 
such a way that one class now closes with the benediction 
and the other adds yet the Da Pacein. This last part is 
thanksgiving in its nature. It is based on the example of 
Christ, who sang a Psalm of praise at the close of the first 
Holy Supper. The collect gives thanks for the salutary 
gifts of the body and blood of Christ, and prays that they 
may be a means of increasing faith towards fellow-Chris- 
tians. In a word, it brings out the two essential ideas of the 
sacrament : it is a means of grace and communion of saints. 

The Benediction is an invocation for health of body and 
peace of soul, and for final deliverance from sin and death 

* Kliefoth, pp. 168-9. 



270 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

and hell. The Da Paccm (when used) prays for peace and 
protection in time of peril. 

The Da Pacem, German, " Verleih uns Frieden gnadig- 
lich," has been rendered into English as follows: 

In these days so perilous, 
Lord, peace in mercy send us ; 
No God but thee can fight for us, 
No God but thee defend us ; 
Thou our only God and Saviour. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE MORNING AND EVENING SERVICES. 

A VERY small amount of space is left in which to treat 
the morning and evening services of the Church. The 
Apostolic Constitutions, Book VIII., present directions and, 
in part at least, forms for these services in the ancient 
Church of the East. Both services were introduced by the 
recitation of a Psalm. The sixty-third, beginning, '' Oh, 
God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee," was the 
morning Psalm, and the one hundred and forty-first, begin- 
ning, *' Lord, I cry unto thee : make haste unto me," was the 
evening Psalm. In both services the recitation of these 
Psalms was followed by the prayers for the catechumens, 
the energumens and the candidates for baptism. '' But after 
the dismission of these, the deacon shall say: So many as 
are of the faithful, let us pray to the Lord. And after the 
bidding prayer, which is formerly set down, he shall say : 

THE BIDDING PRAYER FOR THE EVENING. 

" Save us, O God, and raise us up by thy Christ. Let us 
stand up, and beg for the mercies of the Lord, and his com- 
passions, for the angel of peace, for what things are good 
and profitable, for a Christian departure out of this life, an 
evening and a night of peace, and free from sin ; and let us 
beg that the whole course of our life may be unblamable. 
Let us dedicate ourselves and one another to the living God 
through his Christ. And let the bishop add this prayer, and 
say: 

THE THANKSGIVING FOR THE EVENING. 

*' O God, who art without beginning," etc. 

When the thanksgiving prayer was ended, the deacon 

(271) 



272 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

said : '' Depart in peace." '' In like manner, in the morning, 
after the repetition of the morning Psalm, and his dismis- 
sion of the catechumens, the energumens, the candidates for 
baptism and the penitents, and after the usual bidding of 
prayers, that we may not again repeat the same things, let 
the deacon add after the words. Save us, O God, and raise 
us up by thy grace : Let us beg of the Lord his mercies and 
compassions, that this morning and this day may be with 
peace and without sin, as also all the time of our sojourning; 
that he will grant us his angel of peace, a Christian departure 
out of this life, and that God will be merciful and gracious. 
Let us dedicate ourselves and one another to the living God 
through his only-begotten. And let the bishop add this 
prayer, and say : 

THE THANKSGIVING FOR THE MORNING. 

" O God, the God of Spirits," etc. 

In the morning the bishop added yet the benediction with 
the imposition of hands. The worshipers were then dis- 
missed by the deacon with the words : " Depart in peace." * 

Through Theodoret we learn that as early as the time of 
Athanasius it was customary in the East to have alternate 
verses of the Psalm intoned by different choirs. This same 
practice was introduced at Milan by Ambrose (f 397). As 
early as the sixth century hymns were added to the daily 
service in the West, with lections from the fathers, and 
Psalms and responsories for the different feasts. This was 
the origin of the Breviary, or book of daily worship in the 
Roman Catholic Church, which was completed from Greg- 
ory VII. to Paul v., and, revised by order of the Council of 
Trent, was made obligatory upon the entire Roman Catholic 
Church, except where a prescription of two hundred years 
could be alleged in favor of some special Breviary. 

Lohe has arranged the following scheme for the matins 
and vespers of the Breviary : 

* Apost. Constitutions, Book VIII., Sec. 4. 



MORNING AND EVENING SERVICES. 273 

Matins. Vespers. 

Pater Noster Pater Noster. 

Ave Maria Ave Maria. 

Credo. 

Domine, labia, etc ; Deiis in adjutorium, etc. 

Deus in adjutorium. 
Gloria. 

Invitatorium Psalmodia, 

Ps. 95. 

Gloria Invitatorium. 

Hymnus Capitulum. 

Psalmodia Hymnus. 

Lectio Magnificat. 

Te Deum Oratio. 

Oratio. 

Luther's directions for the weekday services are given in 
the '' Order of Divine Service in the Congregation," found 
in a previous chapter, and his directions for the Sunday 
morning and evening services are contained in the German 
Mass. As in the Communion service, so in the morning and 
evening services, Luther's directions were generally followed 
by the Church orders of Germany composed in the sixteenth 
century. These services can be best understood by being 
seen in their full text. We translate from representative 
liturgies. 

MORNING SERVICE. 

1. From the Saxon, ij3Q. In the morning the scholars 
shall sing one or two or three Psalms as at matins, with an 
antiphon of the Lord's day or festival, closing with a collect. 

2. From the Waldeck, 1556. The Veni Sancte, Invita- 
tory and Venite, antiphon, with Psalms for the day, lection 
and responsory (on festivals, three), Te Deum, Benedictus, 
with antiphon, collect, Benedicamus. 

3. From the, Wittenberg, 1559. In the morning the 
scholars shall sing a Psalm, or two or three, as at matins, 
with the antiphon of the Lord's day, or festival. Then a 
boy reads a lection from the Old Testament in Latin, and 
another boy one in German. Then the Benedictus is sung 

18 



274 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

in German or Latin. Sometimes the Te Deum Laudamus, 
in German or Latin. Close with an antiphon and collect. 

EVENING SERVICE. 

1. From the Saxon Visitation Articles, 1333. The school- 
master and the scholars sing a Psalm. Then a boy reads a 
passage from the Old Testament, first in Latin ; then another 
boy one in German. Then a hymn is sung, followed by the 
Magnificat, and finally the collect. If there be preaching on 
Sunday, or other festivals during vespers, the Magnificat is 
sung before the sermon. 

2. From the Hamburg, 1539. Antiphon, Psalm. Lec- 
tion of the Epistle, Latin and German. Sometimes a re- 
sponsory. Hymn or Psalm. Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, 
German or Latin. Kyrie. Lord's Prayer. Verse. Collect. 
Benedicamus. 

3. From the Wiirtemherg, 1333. In the cities the scholars 
shall sing at vespers some Latin Psalms, with a Latin anti- 
phon ; then the minister shall read to the people, in German, 
a chapter of Scripture from the Old and New Testaments, 
with their summaries. After the reading of the Scripture 
sing the German Magnificat or another Christian hymn. 
Close with a common prayer and the benediction. 

These examples, taken almost at random from the Kirch- 
enordnungen of the sixteenth century, furnish a very com- 
plete exhibition of the historical morning and evening ser- 
vice of the Lutheran Church. There is general agreement, 
but individual differences, an illustration of what Hengsten- 
berg calls '* German unanimity." Sometimes we find the 
Gloria Patri ; sometimes the Athanasian Creed : occasionally 
the Da Pacem. 

It remains only to say that an antiphon is a verse or part 
of a verse of Scripture, appropriate to the day, sung after a 
Psalm. For instance : If the eighth Psalm were sung on the 
day of Annunciation, then Luke i. 26, 2y, was sung as the 
antiphon; that an invitatory is a Psalm or part of a Psalm 
which invites to prayer and praise. 



MORNING AND EVENING SERVICES. 275 

The ninety-fifth is the old invitatory Psalm; that a re- 
sponsory is a versicle and response sung after the lessons as, 

O Lord, show us thy mercy : 

Response : Thanks be to thee, O Lord. 

That the Magnificat is the hymn of Mary, Luke i. 46, et 
seq., and the Nunc Dimittis is the song of Simeon, Luke ii. 
29, et seq., that the Benedicamus consists of the versicle and 
response : 

Let us give thanks unto the Lord. 

Response : Thanks be unto the Lord. 



Note. — It will be observed that these services seldom provide for 
preaching. They were intended chiefly as services of reading and song, 
and were conducted oftener by the schoolmaster or the scholars belong- 
ing to the Church school than by the pastor. Frequently, however, the 
pastor conducted a Catechism service in the afternoon, in which he took 
up and explained the Catechism, part after part. 



CHAPTER XII. 

WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED CHURCHES. 

In this chapter it is proposed to consider the principles of 
worship in those parts of the Protestant world which did not 
come immediately under the influence of Luther, but owed 
their origin and development to other reformers. The term 
Reformed churches is used to denote the Protestant churches 
of Switzerland, France, Holland, Scotland and England. 
Among the reformers who exerted a strong formative influ- 
ence upon these churches were Zwingli, Knox, Cranmer, and 
above all Calvin, whose logical mind and clear expression 
have earned for him the title of '' theologian of the Refor- 
mation." 

In regard to what may be called the fundamental princi- 
ples of Protestantism, there was striking harmony between 
the Lutheran and the Reformed Churches. All alike ac- 
cepted the Scriptures as the supreme rule of doctrine, and 
taught justification by faith alone. They agreed in rejecting 
and condemning the Roman Catholic doctrines concerning 
the Church, priesthood and sacraments. They found the 
same necessity for a renovation of worship. They consid- 
ered the Church, not as an outward organization under the 
pope as " vicegerent of Christ," but as essentially a spiritual 
brotherhood, the collective body of those united to their 
divine Head by faith. In harmony with the Augsburg Con- 
fession, the First Helvetic Confession, prepared in 1536, and 
embodying the faith of all the reformed cantons of Switzer- 
land, calls the Church " the congregation and assembly of all 
saints." The French Confession of Faith of 1559 declares 
that the true Church " is the company of the faithful who 
agree to follow his Word, and the pure religion which it 

(276) 



WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED CHURCHES. 277 

teaches." The Westminster Confession says, '' The cathoHc 
or universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole 
number of the elect, that have been, are or shall be gathered 
in one, under Christ the head thereof ; and is the" spouse, the 
body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all." Thus the 
Reformed creeds, in agreement with the Lutheran Confes- 
sion, make the Church essentially an invisible body united 
under Christ as head — the congregation of saints — which 
becomes visible, not through an outward organization under 
a single human head, but through the administration of the 
Word and sacraments according to the Gospel. 

The great end of the Gospel is to enlarge the congregation 
of saints — to build up the kingdom of Christ in the world. 
This end is accomplished when men believe that they are 
'' justified freely for Christ's sake through faith." This 
faith is imputed for righteousness; it brings, through the 
power of the Spirit, a change of heart ; it places the soul in 
fundamental harmony with the divine nature; it manifests 
itself in love, holiness and obedience. For the proclamation 
of the Gospel, which thus by faith leads into the kingdom of 
God, the office of the ministry was instituted. Its chief func- 
tion is not, as in the Roman Church, to offer sacrifice for the 
living and the dead, but to bring the Gospel into effectual 
relation with the souls of men. The Thirty-nine Articles of 
the Church of England characterize the ministry as '' the 
office of public preaching or ministering the sacraments," 
and the Westminster Confession points out the chief func- 
tion of this ofiice in designating it " the ministry of the 
Word." This is in perfect harmony with the Augsburg 
Confession, which, after treating of justification by faith, 
continues : '' For the obtaining of this faith, the ministry of 
teaching the Gospel was instituted." Thus the Reformed 
churches, in common with the Lutheran Church, look upon 
the ministry as constituting, not a sacerdotal caste mediating 
between God and man, but a teaching body for the edifica- 
tion of the kingdom of Christ through the preaching of the 



278 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Word and the administering of the sacraments. They do 
not " give the forgiveness of sins," but simply announce for- 
giveness on the conditions set forth in the Gospel. Christ is 
the only mediator between God and men; and all believers, 
as kings and priests, have immediate access to the Father 
through him. In the Reformed churches, as in the Lutheran 
Church, the preaching of the Word, which had fallen into 
the background through the sacerdotal system of the Roman 
Church, was restored to its proper place in worship. 

The Roman doctrine of transubstantiation, which lies at 
the basis of the Mass, was looked upon with abhorrence by 
all the reformers. While they did not agree when they came 
to make a positive statement of the nature of the Lord's 
Supper, they unanimously agreed in rejecting and condemn- 
ing transubstantiation. The Roman Mass was no greater 
abomination to Luther than to Calvin and Knox. The rea- 
son of this condemnation is not far to seek. As a sacrifice 
for sin, effective ex opere opcrato, it is fundamentally op- 
posed to the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith. In 
harmony with their conception of the Church, the reformers 
without exception agreed in regarding the sacraments as a 
means of edifying the body of believers. In full accord with 
the Augsburg Confession, the Westminster Confession says : 
" Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of 
grace, immediately instituted of God, to represent Christ 
and his benefits, and to confirm our interest in him : as also 
to put a visible difference between those that belong to the 
Church and the rest of the world; and solemnly to engage 
them to the service of God in Christ, according to his 
Word." 

The Reformed churches, like the Lutheran Church, recog- 
nized the objective and subjective elements in worship. The 
only difference, as we shall presently see, was in the emphasis 
placed on the two parts. The Reformed churches, in oppo- 
sition to the mechanical theory of the Roman Catholic 
Church, place the efficacy of worship in its ethical and spirit- 



WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED CHURCHES. 279 

ual effects upon the human heart. This requires, on the one 
hand, the presentation of divine truth in the Word and sac- 
raments, and, on the other, receptive faith on the part of the 
worshiper. True worship consists, not in the performance 
of a ritualistic act, but in the love, adoration and obedience 
of the heart, which thus joyfully responds to the declarations 
of grace contained in the Gospel. " These two fundamental 
principles," says Koestlin, "that of subjective truth, accord- 
ing to which worship is constituted, not so miich by an ex- 
press divine appointment, as much rather by the activity of 
the believing subject; and that of objective truth, according 
to which worship should be nothing else than a genuine ex- 
pression and bearer of the evangelical declaration of salva- 
tion — these principles are common to all evangelical 
churches." * 

Rejecting, in opposition to the Roman Church, the author- 
ity of tradition, and making the Scriptures alone the rule of 
faith and practice, the Reformed churches made the Word 
prominent in worship. The Westminster Confession says : 
" The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear ; the sound 
preaching and conscionable hearing of the Word, in obedi- 
ence unto God with understanding, faith and reverence; 
singing of Psalms with grace in the heart ; as, also, the due 
administration of the sacraments instituted by Christ, are all 
parts of the ordinary religious worship of God." This 
strong emphasizing of the Gospel leads naturally to the set- 
ting up of a clear distinction between the institutions of God 
and the ordinances of man. The Word and the sacraments 
are essential in worship; the ceremonies of man's appoint- 
ment are not essential. Ceremonies may be used so far as 
they are helpful and edifying in worship; but they can have 
no binding authority upon the conscience. " Inward truth 
alone," says' Calvin, '' is what the Lord requires. Exercises 
superadded are to be approved, so far as they are subservient 
to truth, useful incitements, or marks of profession to attest 
* Geschichte des Christlichen Gottesdienstes, p. 143, 



286 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

our faith to men. Nor do we reject things tending to the 
preservation of order and discipline. But when consciences 
are put under fetters, and bound by rehgious obhgations, in 
which God willed them to be free, then we must boldly pro- 
test, in order that the worship of God be not vitiated by 
human fictions." * 

The Reformed churches, in harmony with the Lutheran 
Church, maintain freedom touching human ordinances and 
traditions. This results inevitably from the fundamental 
principle of Protestantism, which makes the Scriptures the 
supreme authority in religious faith and practice. Ecclesias- 
tical ceremonies are only a means of promoting the edifica- 
tion of the Church; and, as such, they may be changed ac- 
cording to times and circumstances. It is not necessary to 
the unity of the Church that the same ceremonies prevail 
everywhere. The fixed character of Roman Catholic cere- 
monies, however beautiful in the abstract, is a serious fault, 
inasmuch as it ignores the principle of adaptation. The 
Thirty-nine Articles are in agreement with the Lutheran 
Confessions in declaring that ** It is not necessary that tradi- 
tions and ceremonies be in all places one or utterly alike; 
for at all times they have been divers, and may be changed 
according to the diversity of countries, times and men's man- 
ners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word." In 
accordance with this principle of freedom, the Reformed 
Church, like the Lutheran Church, produced a number of 
different liturgies, among which are those of Zwingli, Cal- 
vin, Knox and Cranmer. 

The Protestant principle of the universal priesthood of 
Christians, which is directly opposed to the Roman doctrine 
of a sacerdotal caste, makes worship an act of the congrega- 
tion. In the Reformed, as well as in the Lutheran Church, 
worship is not an act of the minister alone, but of the con- 
gregation. It is conducted in the native tongue. The con- 
gregation give reverent and attentive heed to the reading 
* Eutaxia, p. 13, where it is quoted. 



WORSHIP IN THK RKFORMED CHURCHES. 28l 

and preaching of the Word; in prayer they Hft their hearts 
in thanksgiving, and praise, and supphcation ; in Psalms and 
hymns they raise their voices in harmonious accord, glorify- 
ing the Triune God. With the view of promoting congrega- 
tional worship, the psalmody of the Church was enriched. 
Calvin engaged the French poet Marot and Theodore Beza 
to make a metrical version of the Psalms, which was exten- 
sively used. 

But while the Reformed and the Lutheran Churches have 
a general agreement in holding the fundamental principles 
of Protestantism, and hence constitute co-ordinate parts of 
the historic movement known as the Reformation, they pos- 
sess, at the same time, distinguishing peculiarities, which are 
reflected in their forms of worship. '' Their unity con- 
sisted," says Dorner, in speaking of the beginning of the two 
branches of the reformatory movement, '' not merely in a 
common antagonism to Rome, but also in an essential posi- 
tive agreement upon those weightiest and fundamental tenets 
of the supreme authority of the Holy Scriptures and the free 
grace of God in Christ." * The differences in worship that 
arose between the two Protestant bodies consisted chiefly in 
their application of these fundamental principles. It may be 
considered as true in a general way that the Lutheran Refor- 
mation, as a result of the German Reformer's personal ex- 
perience, laid more stress on the material principle, while the 
Reformed Church, arising more immediately from a study 
of the Scriptures without deep spiritual conflicts, gave 
greater prominence to the formal principle. According to 
Ebrard, the Lutheran Church was chiefly opposed to the 
Judaism of Rome, and the Reformed Church to its heathen- 
ism. '' With entire agreement in their opposition to the un- 
scriptural elements in Catholicism," says Alt, " Zwingli and 
Calvin nevertheless differ from Luther in one point which 
was very important in the transformation of the ecclesias- 
tical organization and worship. Luther had become a re- 
* History of Protestant Theology, Vol. I., p. 282. 



282 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

former through the estabhshment of the doctrine of justifi- 
cation by faith in the free grace of God in Christ, and his 
struggles with the CathoHc Church were really only a con- 
tention for this doctrine. Hence, on the one hand, he firmly 
rejected everything that was in any way contradictory there- 
to, such as the sacrifice of the Mass, Mariolatry, the worship 
of saints, and everything that the Church enjoined or 
praised as good works, and as works necessary or helpful to 
salvation. But, on the other hand, he unhesitatingly allowed 
everything to remain which was reconcilable with this doc- 
trine; ancient and venerable customs, so far as they con- 
tained nothing superstitious or erroneous, he retained. Thus 
many of the old forms of worship, and even the papal gov- 
ernment of the Church, he would have allowed to remain, if 
the pope would have consented to the doctrine of justifica- 
tion through faith alone. It was otherwise with Zwingli and 
Calvin. Through a diligent study of Holy Scripture, they 
had thoroughly familiarized themselves with the age of 
primitive Christianity ; the Apostolic Church with its touch- 
ing and unadorned simplicity had become clearer to their 
eyes, and they were convinced that the Church could be thor- 
oughly helped only when it became internally, as well as ex- 
ternally, what it was at that time." * In a general way these 
observations are just, as indicating the tendency of the two 
churches. The Reformed Church was less conservative of 
ancient usages. Its churches were audience chambers; its 
altars became Communion tables ; statuary, painting and 
instrumental music were abolished. The Church year was 
regarded as unimportant, and the pericopes were not made 
binding upon the ministry. Sunday received especial em- 
phasis as a day of worship. Yet the leading festivals of the 
Church year were also observed. The Church Order of 
Basel of 1529 prescribed the observance of Christmas, 
Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. '' Many festival days," 
it says, " are not to be praised." The Church Order of Ulm 

* Christlicher Cultus, p. 271. 



WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED CHURCHES. 283 

says: "Since most of the festivals have served only for 
superstition and wantonness, they are to be abolished. Yet 
the preachers on the days observed in memory of the Lord, 
the Apostles and martyrs, shall so discourse of them that 
the congregation may be edified, and superstition removed 
from the heart. But Sunday, which alone is celebrated, shall 
be spent in hearing the divine Word, prayer, and other 
Christian works." Its liturgies were not renovations of the 
Mass, but in large measure independent productions. 

It is a mistake, however, to suppose that the Reformed 
Church is necessarily opposed to liturgical forms. Neither 
Zwingli, nor Calvin, nor Knox believed it necessary to re- 
turn to Apostolic simplicity. They recognized the lawful- 
ness of using forms of human devising in so far as they were 
conformable to truth and helpful to edification, and as a 
matter of fact all these reformers composed liturgies of con- 
siderable fullness. The fact that they fell into disuse in some 
parts of the Church was clue, not so much to the inherent 
tendency of the Church, as to the outward circumstances of 
its history. " More than any other Church," says Koestlin, 
'* the Retormed Church had to bear the cross. Under the 
heavy storms of persecution which it had to pass through, 
it felt itself thrown back exclusively on the Word of God as 
the only foundation and source of its existence, and the long, 
hot period of trial, in which it struggled for mere existence, 
caused it to look on all matters as subordinate which did not 
directly condition the continuance of its faith and life. No 
wonder that it became indifferent and even indisposed to 
ceremonies, to outward decoration and constitution of wor- 
ship, and at last restricted itself to the scantiest reproduction 
of the edifying forms based upon Holy Scripture and going 
back to the institution of Jesus. The feeling against every- 
thing Romish was sharpened by persecution; in liturgical 
richness, variety of forms and ceremonies, outward decora- 
tion and splendor, one scented a Romanizing leaven, against 
the entrance of which only a rigid, puritanical simplicity and 



284 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

restriction to what is directly given and commanded in Holy 
Scripture, could afford protection." * 

There is another general difference in tendency between 
the Reformed and the Lutheran Churches, which affects 
worship in a noticeable degree. Stahl expresses it thus : " In 
the Lutheran Church there is a tendency rather to contem- 
plation, in the Reformed Church to legality." Schnecken- 
burger puts it in this form : " In the Reformed Church the 
active momenta predominate, in the Lutheran the reposing 
consciousness as a state." Dorner traces this difference to 
the experience and teaching of the Germali and the Swiss 
reformer : " Luther lingered rather in the inward sphere of 
the self-consciousness as renewed by God, in which man 
knows himself to be a child of God. It is accordingly the 
moral element in its absolute reference which he emphasizes, 
whilst Zwingli, on the other hand, lays stress rather upon 
man's being there to increase the glory of God upon earth, 
which is done by the fulfillment of his will and by a purify- 
ing conformation of life jand of the community. "f Hence 
it happened that the Lutheran Church developed the science 
of theology, and the Reformed Church the science of morals. 
In worship the Lutheran Church lays stress on the divine 
element, and the Reformed Church on the human element. 
This is regarded by Alt as the characteristic distinction be- 
tween the two churches. '' The essential difference," he 
says, '' between the Lutheran and the Reformed worship 
cannot be more briefly and more strikingly indicated than 
when with Kliefoth we emphasize as chief characteristic 
with the former the sacramental element, and with the latter 
the sacrificial. But these terms should be understood as only 
expressing what is commonly designated by the words objec- 
tive and subjective/' t 

In this discussion it has been deemed best to treat only of 

clear and demonstrable facts. Theologians are still divided 

* Geschichte des Christ. Gottesdienstes, p. 197. 

t History of Protestant Theology, Vol. I., p. 295. 

t Christlicher Cultus, p. 302. 



WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED CHURCHES. 285 

in regard to what constitutes the essential difference between 
the two branches of Protestantism. In seeking these dis- 
tinctions there is danger of running out into trifling and 
subtle refinements. In view of existing dangers, to say noth- 
ing of the true Christian spirit, our effort should be, not 
needlessly to exaggerate differences, and thus produce hos- 
tile antagonisms within the body of Protestantism, but to 
emphasize the essential unity of this great historic move- 
ment, and thus strengthen it against Romanism and unbelief. 
In the great fundamental principles of worship the Re- 
formed churches are in substantial harmony with the Luth- 
eran Church; and their divergence pertains chiefly to two 
points : i. They are less conservative than the Lutheran 
Church; and 2. They emphasize the subjective, rather than 
the objective element of worship. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

FORMS OF WORSHIP IN THE REFORMED CHURCHES. 

I. ZwiNGLi^ the Swiss reformer, was born in 1484. He 
displayed great eagerness and aptitude in learning; and at 
the universities of Vienna and Basel, he achieved distinction 
as a scholar. At first he gave himself ardently to the study 
of the ancient classics, the literary treasures of which had 
but recently been brought to light; but literature alone did 
not satisfy the deepest wants of his nature, and he some- 
times complained at this period that so many persons studied 
heathen poets rather than Ghrist and Paul. 

In 1506 he was elected pastor at Glarus. He there 
studied, m connection with the Latin classics, the Church 
fathers and scholastic theology, but was gradually led to a 
clearer understanding and higher appreciation of the Script- 
ures. He studied the original tongues; he transcribed the 
Epistles of Paul with his own hand, and studied them so dili- 
gently that he knew them by heart. He discerned many of 
the evil practices of the Roman Church; and he preached 
earnestly against the corrupt manners of the time. *' Let us 
believe and obey," he said, " what is revealed to us in the 
Word of God. Whatsoever is not found in it must be re- 
garded as superfluous ; and whatsoever is against it, as erro- 
neous and untrue." Thus, while still a priest of the Roman 
Church, and an adherent to the pope, he was in fact an evan- 
gelical preacher, whose teaching was subsequently to lead 
to a reformation. 

In 15 16, he removed to Einsiedeln. It was a place of re- 
sort for pilgrims, who came from all parts of Switzerland, 
Alsace and Southern Germany to see the image of the Vir- 
gin and child, which had been preserved there for many cen- 

(286) 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 287 

turies. It was Zwingli's duty to preach to the superstitious 
throngs; and he was expected to confirm their faith in the 
miraculous power of the image. Faithful to his convictions 
acquired through a study of the New Testament, he boldly 
proclaimed that remission of sins and eternal life were to be 
sought, not from the Virgin, but from Christ ; that pilgrim- 
ages, vows and gifts possessed no efficacy; that God's grace 
and help were as free elsewhere as at Einsiedeln; and that 
since there is no purgatory, Masses for the dead were use- 
less. Such preaching naturally produced a sensation; and 
when the prior of the monastery remonstrated, Zwingli, with 
the martyr spirit, replied : '' Once for all, we must determine 
to cling inseparably to right, truth and God, though with 
the loss of property and life. Once for all, we must venture, 
and expose ourselves to the danger of death for the truth, 
and to confirm the mind against all the attacks of the flesh, 
the world and the devil." As a result of Zwingli's labors, 
pilgrimages became less frequent, and the image of the Vir- 
gin, so long an object of worship, was removed and buried. 
Whether Zwingli derived his reformatory impulse from 
Luther is a disputed question. But the facts seem to show 
that the Swiss reformation had an independent beginning. 
Zwingli had begun his evangelical preaching in 15 16 — a 
year before Luther nailed the Ninety-five theses to the 
church door in Wittenberg, and it was not till two years later 
that he became acquainted with the writings of the Saxon re- 
former. Zwingli, like Luther, was led to a knowledge of 
the truth through a careful study of the Scriptures. Or in 
the words of Dorner, '' It was through Paul that Luther and 
he had come, independently of each other, to the same 
knowledge."* Zwingli himself says: ''The papists heap 
such names upon me and others from folly; they say, you 
must be a Lutheran, you preach just as Luther writes. I 
answer them, I preach quite as much as Paul wrote ; why do 
you not rather receive me as an adherent of Paul? Yea, I 
* Hist, of Prot. Theol., Vol. I., p. 304. 



288 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

preach the word of Christ ; wherefore do ye not receive me 
as a Christian ? Thus it is nothing but nonsense. Luther is, 
as seems to me, an exceUent champion for God, who has 
searched the meaning of Scripture with greater earnestness 
than any one on earth has done for a thousand years : and 
no one has equaled him in the manly, steadfast courage with 
which he has assailed the pope of Rome, so long as the 
papacy has existed, not to mention others. But whose is 
this deed? Is it of God or of Luther? Ask Luther him- 
self; I well know he will say of God. Why then do you 
ascribe other men's doctrine to Luther, when he ascribes his 
own to God? Again, I will not bear the name of Luther, 
because I have read very little of his doctrine and have often 
refrained from his writings on purpose to satisfy the papists. 
But what I have read of his writings (so far as concerns 
dogmas, doctrine, meaning and sense of Scripture, for I 
have nothing to do with his quarrels) is generally so well 
seen and grounded in the Word of God, that it is not pos- 
sible for any creature to controvert them." * 

The first of January, 1519, Zwingli entered upon his 
duties as preacher in the cathedral at Zurich, which was to 
be the scene of his labors as reformer. The influence of 
Luther's work in Germany made a receptive soil for the 
truth. The evangelical preaching of Zwingli attracted in- 
creasing numbers. " This is a preacher of the truth," said 
the treasurer of the City Council, " who is not afraid to 
speak — who will be our Moses and lead us out of Egypt." 
At this time Samson, an indulgence vender, appeared at 
Zurich to carry on his nefarious traflic. Zwingli denounced 
the traflic, and attacked the doctrine upon which it rested; 
and as a result, Samson was sent out of the country. As 
Zwingli continued his evangelical preaching with increasing 
influence and power, a conflict with the papacy became in- 
evitable. He distinguished with increasing clearness be- 
tween divine and human ordinances. Having declared fast- 
* Gieseler's Eccle. Hist., Vol. V., pp. 307, 387. 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 289 

ing to be a human ordinance, he was accused by the Bishop 
of Constance before the Council of Zurich. This was in 
1522. ZwingH conducted his own defense, and came off vic- 
torious. The Council dismissed the charges. This con- 
troversy occasioned his first reformatory writing,* in which 
he showed that we are not saved by the deeds of the law. 

The following year the Council ordered a public disputa- 
tion concerning the new doctrines; Zwingli prepared sixty- 
seven theses in which his doctrinal views are contained, and 
in which the fundamental principles of the Reformation are 
more or less clearly embodied. A few are here given: "i. 
All who say that the Gospel is naught without the approval 
of the Church, err and slander God. 2. Briefly, the Gospel 
is that our Lord Jesus Christ, true Son of God, revealed to 
us the will of our heavenly Father, and redeemed us from 
death and reconciled us to God. 3. Therefore Christ is the 
only way of salvation for all who ever lived, now live, or will 
live hereafter. 4. He who seeks or shows any other door, 
errs ; vea, is a murderer of souls and a thief. 6. For Christ 
is the guide and captain, promised and given by God to the 
whole human race. 7. That he is the eternal salvation and 
head of all believers, who are his body, which is dead and 
can do nothing without him. 16. Man learns in the Gospel 
that human doctrines and institutions are useless for salva- 
tion. 17. That Christ is the only eternal high priest ; where- 
fore we conclude that they who have pretended to be high 
priests resist the honor and power of Christ, yea, reject 
them. 18. That Christ, who offered himself once, is forever 
a perfect and satisfactory sacrifice for the sins of all be- 
lievers ; from which we conclude that the Mass is no sacrifice. 
19. That Christ is the only Mediator between God and man. 
50. God forgives sins only for the sake of Jesus Christ, his 
Son, our Lord." f 

The Council were convinced by the arguments and elo- 
quence of Zwingli, and ordered him to continue in his good 
* Von Erkiesen und Freiheit der Spysen. 
t Schaff's Creeds of Christendom, Vol. III. 
19 



290 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

work. All other ministers were likewise enjoined to preach 
in accordance with Holy Scripture. The Reformation, thus 
legally established, w^ent forward rapidly. The Latin lan- 
guage was discontinued in worship ; the incomes of chapters 
and monasteries were applied to education; the celibacy of 
the clerg}^ was abolished ; monks and nuns were freed from 
their vows; and image-worship was declared to be idola- 
trous. In 1523 Zwingli adopted a provisory liturgy, 
which was based on the Roman Mass, and closely corre- 
sponded to Luther's Formula Missas. Its parts are as fol- 
lows: 

PART I. (word group). 

1. Introit. 

2. Kyrie. 

3. Gloria in Excelsis. 

4. Collect. ^ 

5. Epistle. 

6. Hallelujah with sequence. 

7. Gospel. 

8. Sermon. 

9. Confession of faith. 
10. General prayer. 

PART II. (EUCHARIST ). 

1. Preface with Sanctus. 

2. Consecration, consisting of a prayer and words of 
institution. 

3. Distribution. 

4. Prayer of Thanksgiving. 

5. Nunc Dimittis. 

6. Benediction. 

In 1525 Zwingli introduced his liturgy of the Lord's Sup- 
per, which was intended to reproduce something of the sim- 
plicity of the early Church. This is the first Reformed lit- 
urgy. In the Introduction, after stating that the Lord's 
Supper had been restored to its proper place, he continues : 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 291 

'' In regard to the ceremonies that accompany it, what we 
have done may be perhaps regarded by some as too much, 
and by others as too Httle. In this, however, every congre- 
gation is free to enjoy its own opinion; for in regard to this 
point we will not dispute with any. For what injuries and 
defections from God have till now grown out of many of 
these ceremonies, all believers well understand. For this 
reason we have thought it good in the use of the Holy Sup- 
per, to prescribe to our people as few ceremonies and as little 
church pomp as possible, so that the old error may not in 
time creep in again. The Holy Supper is itself a ceremony 
— though one instituted by Christ himself^ — which is suffi- 
cient. Still, in order that the ordinance may not be cele- 
brated in a way too bleak and bare, and that something may 
be yielded to human weakness, we have, as in this form, ac- 
companied its celebration with such ceremonies as we be- 
lieve to be suited, in some measure, to excite devotion, and 
prepare the heart in a spiritual way to remember the death 
of Christ, to increase faith and brotherly love, to promote 
holiness of life, and to subdue vice in the hearts and lives of 
men. In so doing, however, it has not been our design to 
set aside for other congregations any such ceremonies as 
have perhaps been promotive of devotion among them, such 
as singing and some others of the same nature ; for we en- 
tertain the hope that all pastors in all places are sincerely 
concerned in every way to build up God's people and to win 
many to his service." * The order of the service is as fol- 
lows : 

1. Prayer by the minister with face turned toward the 
congregation. 

2. Reading of i Cor. xi. 10-20. 

3. The minister and the congregation repeat the Gloria in 
Excelsis, the minister, men and women saying sentences in 
turn, and all concluding with Amen. 

* Daniel's Codex Liturgicus, Tom. III. Also, Mercersburg Review, 
Vol. IX. 



292 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

4. Salutation (The Lord be with you), and response by 
the people (And with thy spirit). 

5. Reading of John vi. 47-64, the people responding to 
the announcement of the Gospel lesson with, " The Lord be 
praised." After the reading, the minister kisses the book 
and says : '' For this let the name of the Lord be praised, 
who according to his most Holy Word, forgiveth all our 
sins." The people respond, Amen. 

6. The Apostles' Creed repeated antiphonically as the 
Gloria in Excelsis. 

7. After a short admonition the minister repeats the 
Lord's Prayer, to which the people respond, Amen. 

8. Prayer for a blessed participation of the sacrament, 
followed by the words of institution. 

9. Distribution of the elements, which are brought by the 
minister and his attendants to the communicants who remain 
at their seats. 

10. The reading of the 113th Psalm antiphonically by the 
minister, men and women. 

11. In conclusion the minister says: ''Lord, we give 
thanks unto thee for all thy gifts and mercies, who livest and 
reignest, God blessed forever." The people respond. Amen. 
The minister then says : " Depart in peace." 

The Communion was first celebrated according to this 
form on Thursday of Passion Week, 1525. " Indescribably 
great," says Jean Grob, a biographer of Zwingli, " was the 
impression made by this first celebration according to the 
new mode. All were most deeply affected. Aged men and 
women, while receiving the bread and wine with thankful 
emotions, wept aloud. After the celebration many embraced 
each other as redeemed brethren. People who had long been 
enemies extended their hands sincerely to one another; a 
spirit of brotherly love, as in the early Christian Church, 
could be felt everywhere. Zwingli could not thank the Lord 
sufficiently for the rich blessing of this first celebration of 
the Lord's Supper." * 

* Life of Zwingli, Chap. xv. 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 293 

The first part of the service, which finds its centre in the 
sermon, also underwent a transformation. The provisional 
form of 1523 gave place to a much simpler order, as follows : 

1. Votum: ''The grace, mercy and peace of Almighty 
God, be with us poor sinners always. Amen." 

2. General prayer, followed by the Lord's Prayer. 

3. Sermon. 

4. Confession of sin, concluding with these words : *'A1- 
might3^ eternal God, forgive us our sins, and lead us unto 
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." 

5. Mention of those who had died during the week, fol- 
lowed by this prayer : '' Let us praise and thank God, that 
he has taken these our brethren and sisters in the true faith 
from this present misery, has released them from sorrow and 
toil, and has transferred them into eternal joy ; and we pray 
God that he may grant us grace to live in such a manner, 
that we also may be led in true faith into the eternal fellow- 
ship of his elect. Amen." 

This service is arranged according to a definite plan. In- 
asmuch as spiritual needs lead the congregation to the house 
of God, prayer, which expresses the wants and desires of the 
congregation, is placed at the beginning. Then follows the 
Word, in which God's will and grace are declared and the 
condition and duties of the people are set forth. These 
truths naturally beget a feeling of sinfulness and repentance, 
which finds expression in the Confession. This earnestness 
and solemnity of soul are deepened by thoughts of death 
and eternal life, and at the same time awaken a sense of the 
unity of the Church militant and triumphant. The most 
noteworthy feature in this liturgy is the absence of music. 
Zwingli himself was a musician. But as he found the music 
of the Roman Church unedifying, he abolished it, without 
having anything at first to put in its place. This defect was 
remedied later, and in 1598 German hymns were introduced 
into the service at Zurich. Though we can discern excel- 
lence in this liturgy of Zwingli, we cannot help feeling that 



294 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

he would have done better in proceeding less independently, 
and in adhering more closely to the provisional service of 

^523- 

2. When Calvin came to Geneva in 1536, he found the 
way clear for the introduction of reforms in worship. 
Through the reformatory efforts of Farel, the city had 
recently thrown off its allegiance to Rome. But no confes- 
sion of faith nor order of service had yet been prepared. 
As the Roman Mass had already been completely abolished, 
Calvin naturally thought of an independent service more or 
less closely modeled after the usages of the early Church. 

Calvin's previous training admirably fitted him for the 
work to which he was called in Geneva. To an acute under- 
standing he had added great learning. A study of the 
Scriptures had opened his eyes to the truth ; and, like Luther, 
though with fewer spiritual conflicts, he found peace alone 
in fellowship with Christ by faith. He studied at Paris, 
where he became a recognized leader among those who 
sympathized with the German Reformation. When Francis 
I. was persecuting the Protestants of France, Calvin pre- 
pared the first draft of the Institutes of the Christian Relig- 
ion in order to acquaint the king with the true doctrines of 
the Reformation. With great clearness and force he set 
forth in this work the fundamental principles of the reform- 
atory movement. He made the Bible the sole standard of 
doctrine ; defined the Church as a communion of saints made 
visible through the Word and sacraments, and taught justi- 
fication by faith alone. His own religious life^ however, 
had something of Old Testament rigor. 

Before Calvin came to Geneva, the churches had been 
stripped of their decorations. This was not inaccordant 
with his austere type of piety. His first order of service, 
which was introduced in 1536, was very brief. The garb of 
the minister was a plain black robe. Besides Sunday, Cal- 
vin retained the festivals of Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, 
Ascension Day and Whitsunday. To provide for congre- 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMKD CHURCHES. 295 

gational singing, he encouraged Marot and Beza to make a 
metrical version of the Psahiis, the first edition of which ap- 
peared in 1543. This order of service was as follows: 

1. Confession of sin. 

2. Singing a Psalm. 

3. Free Prayer with the Lord's Prayer. 

4. Text and Sermon. 

5. Prayer. 

This order of service was soon expanded. The Ten Com- 
mandments were introduced in order to give a basis for the 
sense of sin, which finds expression in the Confession. After 
the sermon, the Apostles' Creed is introduced, in order to 
bring before the mind, after the particular truths presented 
in the text, a complete summary of Christian doctrine. Cal- 
vin's complete service connected with preaching is as fol- 
lows : 

I. Scripture lesson with the Ten Commandments. 

Confession of sin, with prayer for pardon and grace. 

Singing a Psalm. 

Free Prayer. 

Text and Sermon. 

Prayer with the Lord's Prayer. 

Apostles' Creed. 

Benediction of Numbers vi. 23. 
The liturgy of the Lord's Supper consists of the following 
parts. To the prayer after the sermon, is added : 

1. Prayer of invocation. 

2. Apostles' Creed. 

3. Exhortation. 

4. Consecration of the elements. 

5. Distribution, while a Psalm is sung or a portion of 
Scripture is read. 

6. Prayer of Thanksgiving. 

7. Nunc Dimittis. 

8. Benediction. 

The Lord's Supper was administered four times a year. 



296 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

and was made the central point of the service on those occa- 
sions. Calvin's desire was that it be administered every 
month; but when his views met with decided opposition, 
" it seemed better to spare the weakness of the people's faith, 
than to strive obstinately against it." As at Wittenberg, 
daily services, consisting of prayers and sermon, were pro- 
vided. " If Luther's reformatory labors were determined 
by the Christian conscience, which on the basis of profound 
personal experience of the way of salvation was directed 
against all institutions and forms concealing or obscuring 
the proclamation of the Gospel, or barring the way of grace 
(while the same Christian conscience could patiently tolerate 
all forms and factors which did not hinder the Gospel) : if 
in Zwingli it was above all the spirit of clearness, the sound, 
sober feeling of truth, which opposed itself to everything 
untrue in an objective as well as in a subjective sense, to 
everything opposed to or inconsistent with the Bible : in Cal- 
vin it is doctrinal reflexion which determines the construc- 
tion of the liturgy." * 

3. From the time Patrick Hamilton was burned at the 
stake for preaching evangelical doctrine, the Reformation 
continued to gain adherents in Scotland. By the martyrdom 
of Wishart in 1546, John Knox, a priest in the Roman Cath- 
olic Church, was led to profess his adherence to the Protest- 
ant faith. A man of learning, piety and zeal, he exerted his 
influence in behalf of the Protestant cause, and at last earned 
the title of Reformer of Scotland. Captured by the French 
in 1547, he was confined to the galleys for nearly two years, 
and suffered great hardships. This experience served to 
give a stern inflexibility to his character, and a rigorous col- 
oring to his piety. After preaching for several years at dif- 
ferent points in England, and serving as chaplain to Edward 
VI., he found it prudent in 1554 to withdraw from the coun- 
try under the reign of Mary. He spent a considerable part 
of the next five years at Geneva, where he was cordially wel- 

*Alt's Christlicher Cultus. 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 297 

corned by Calvin, and placed over a small congregation of 
English exiles. He was delighted with the religious condi- 
tion of the city. " In my heart," he says in a letter to a 
friend, '' I could have wished, yea, cannot cease to wish, that 
it might please God to guide and conduct yourself to this 
place; where, I neither fear nor am ashamed to say, is the 
most perfect school of Christ that was ever in the earth since 
the days of the Apostles. In other places, I confess Christ 
to be truly preached ; but manners and religion to be so sin- 
cerely reformed, I have not yet seen in any other place be- 
side." 

For a short time in 1554 Knox had served as pastor to the 
English congregation at Frankfort-on-the-Main, where he 
drew up an order of service, which was closely modeled after 
that of Calvin in Geneva. It had the approval of Calvin, and 
was unanimously adopted by the English congregation at 
Geneva. It was first published in 1556, and was designed, 
not simply for the congregation at Geneva, but also for use 
in Scotland and England. " We, therefore," says the Pre- 
face, " not as the greatest clerks of all, but as the least able 
of many, do present unto you, which desire the increase of 
God's glory, and the pure simplicity of his Word, a form and 
order of a Reformed Church, limit within the compass of 
God's Word, which our Saviour hath left unto us as only 
sufficient to govern all our actions by." It was adopted by 
Act of the General Assembly of Scotland in 1560, and con- 
tinued in use for about a hundred years. The order of wor- 
ship was as follows : 

T. Confession of sin, for which two forms were provided. 

2. Scripture lessons. 

3. Singing a Psalm. 

4. Prayer for the assistance of the Holy Spirit. 

5. Sermon. 

6. General prayer, embodying the Lord's Prayer and the 
Apostles' Creed. 

7. Singing a Psalm. 



298 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

8. Benediction. 

On the occasion of the celebration of the Lord's Supper, 
which was usually once a month, the order was as follows : 

1. Preface, consisting chiefly of a rehearsal of i Cor. xi. 

23-30. 

2. Exhortation, which is very long. 

3. The communicants being seated at the table, the minis- 
ter takes bread and gives thanks. 

4. Distribution. The minister breaks the bread and de- 
livers it to the people, who distribute it among themselves. 
Likewise the cup. During which a suitable passage of 
Scripture is read. 

5. Prayer and thanksgiving. 

6. Singing the ciii. Psalm or other selection. 

7. Benediction. 

In general, it may be said that the liturgies of Calvin and 
Knox are simple. Scriptural and beautiful. The Reformed 
Churches of the continent have retained liturgies similar to 
that of Calvin. It is, perhaps, to be regretted that in Scot- 
land and the United States these forms have been replaced 
by simpler and apparently less edifying orders of service. 
This result, however, naturally followed the foolish and un- 
righteous attempts of Archbishop Laud to force the English 
Prayer Book upon the people of Scotland. Notwithstanding 
the liturgical labors of Calvin and Knox, prescribed forms 
of worship were suggestive of persecution and papal super- 
stitions. To quote a Scottish writer : " It has arisen out of 
the fearful evils and abuses flowing from the shameless and 
idolatrous forms of popery, mumbled over by a lazy and 
corrupt priesthood, without feeling and almost without 
decency ; succeeded by the cruel and insane attempts to force 
upon a reluctant people forms containing sentiments and 
rites which they abhorred." But this feeling is far less prev- 
alent at the present day ; and the time is at hand when the 
question of liturgical forms can be decided, not by tradi- 
tional prejudices, but by candid investigation. 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 299 

4. The Reformation in England, like that of Switzerland, 
was in large measure independent in its origin. Through 
the revival of learning, the general intelligence had been 
greatly advanced, and measurably emancipated from the 
thraldom of superstition. At the same time, a study of the 
New Testament in the original Greek had diffused a. better 
knowledge of the Gospel. For several years Luther's writ- 
ings had been studied at Oxford and Cambridge with in- 
creasing interest and approval. The abuses existing in the 
Roman Church were generally recognized. In England, as 
in other countries, the extortions of the papacy and the am- 
bition, idleness and licentiousness of the priesthood had 
aroused a deep dissatisfaction w^ith the existing state of the 
Church. Thus the fullness of time had come, and now 
awaited only a leader to begin and carry forward the work 
of reform.ation. 

This leader was provided in a most extraordinary manner. 
How true it is that " the way of man is not in himself ; it is 
not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Not a theolo- 
gian and preacher, urged on by an overwhelming sense of 
duty, but an obstinate monarch, impelled by ambition and 
lust, was to begin the work. Henry VHI. was for a time a 
stanch supporter of the papacy, and in 1521 had published, 
in reply to Luther's Babylonian Captivity, his Defence of 
the Sacraments, for which he received from the pope the 
title of " Defender of the Faith." But when a few years 
later he became enamored of Anne Boleyn, and the pope had 
refused to grant him a divorce from his wife Catharine, 
Henry determined to free himself from papal supremacy, 
and in 1534 had himself declared to be the supreme head of 
the Church of England, with full powers to correct abuses 
and suppress heresies. At heart the king still remained a 
Catholic, and contemplated no changes of doctrine or ritual. 
He persecuted Protestants and papists alike. Frith and 
Tyndale were killed for promulgating Protestant doctrines, 
and More and Fisher, for adhering to the pope. In the Act 



300 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

of Supremacy, by which the king was made head of the 
EngHsh Church, Henry had the support of the Enghsh 
people. But when the break had once been made with Rome, 
he could not control the reformatory movement. In 1536, 
ten doctrinal articles were adopted by the Southern Convoca- 
tion, and promulgated by the king as a guide in religious 
teaching. While they recognized several superstitions of 
the Roman Church — the use of images, auricular confession, 
invocation of saints, and purgatory — they made the Bible, 
with the three ecumenical creeds, the standard of doctrine, 
and declared that salvation is obtained by faith alone. In 
1539, the Bible was printed in English and scattered broad- 
cast over the land. No longer could there be any doubt 
about the ultimate victory of Protestantism. 

Henry VIII. was succeeded by Edward VI. in 1547, under 
whom Protestantism was completely established. Arch- 
bishop Cranmer, who had been held in check by Henry 
VIIL, was now free to declare his adhesion to Protestantism. 
He was encouraged to go forward in the reformatory work 
by Protestant theologians on the Continent — Melanchthon, 
Bullinger, Calvin, Bucer and others — with whom at various 
times he carried on correspondence. Among the changes 
introduced at this time may be mentioned the abandonment 
of transubstantiation, the administration of the Communion 
in both kinds, the repeal of the laws enforcing celibacy, and 
the removal of pictures and images from the churches. 
Naturally a reform of worship claimed attention. A change 
in the old order of service was desirable in four particulars : 
I. The substitution of English in place of Latin ; 2. The giv- 
ing of greater prominence to Holy Scripture; 3. The re- 
moval of what was superstitious and false; 4. The simpli- 
fication of the service. In 1 548 the king '' appointed the 
Archbishop of Canterbury, with other discreet bishops and 
divines, to draw an order of divine worship, having respect 
to the pure religion of Christ taught in the Scripture, and 
to the practice of the primitive Church." * Upon the com- 
* Cardwell's Two Liturgies of King Edward VI., p. 12. 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 3OI 

pletion of their work it was ratified by act of Parliament in 
1549, and is known as the First Prayer Book of Edward VI. 
It was based on the service books of the Roman Church, the 
office of the Holy Communion, with the collects, epistles and 
gospels, being a translation and adaptation of the Roman 
Missal used in the diocese of Salisbury, and known as the 
Sarum Use. In parts, however, the new liturgy was in- 
debted to the liturgical labors of reformers on the Continent. 
" In the great body of the work, indeed," says Cardwell, 
" they derived the materials from the earlier services of their 
own church; but in the occasional offices, it is clear on ex- 
amination that they were indebted to the labors of Melanch- 
thon and Bucer." 

The First Prayer Book did not long continue in use. It 
retained a considerable number of Roman Catholic usages, 
which gave offense to many Protestants. Among the objec- 
tionable practices, which were thought to savor of supersti- 
tion and error, are to be noted the sign of the cross in con- 
secration, confirmation, marriage and visitation of the sick ; 
the use of exorcism and chrism at baptism ; anointing of the 
sick; prayers for the dead; the requirements of vestments 
with albs and tunics for Eucharistic use, and of the pastoral 
staff and cope for bishops; the ceremonies of crossing and 
knocking on the breast; and a number of others of like 
nature. Leaders in the reformatory movement at home and 
abroad began to protest against a service thus permeated 
with papal leaven. In the words of Cardwell, " Calvin wrote 
to the Protector Somerset, before the close of the same year, 
complaining of several parts of the service, on information 
which he appears to have obtained from Bucer; a Lasco 
addressed himself to Cranmer on the continuance of certain 
practices which he deemed superstitious; and Martyr and 
Bucer, then holding respectively the office of King's Profes- 
sor of Theology in the Universities of Oxford and Cam- 
bridge, would naturally not continue silent respecting pray- 
ers and ceremonies which they formally reported to be un- 



302 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

sound and dangerous, when they were consulted afterwards 
by Cranmer." These numerous protests, emanating from 
men of high intelHgence and great influence, could not long 
remain without effect. The convocation of 1550 discussed 
the question of revision. The king, who felt great aversion 
to the service of the Mass, was openly opposed to a liturgy 
calculated, as he thought, to support it, and he frankly de- 
clared that if the necessary changes could not be otherwise 
effected, he would interpose his own authority. As a result 
of this agitation, a revision of the Prayer Book was ordered 
— a task which the commissioners completed in 155 1. 

The new book, known as the Second Prayer Book of 
Edward VI., was authorized by act of Parliament in 1552, 
and ordered to be used throughout the kingdom. It omitted 
the objectionable features already noted in the First Prayer 
Book, introduced many other changes, and altogether it may 
be regarded as much more evangelical. In its preparation 
Cranmer's influence was dominant. He was at the head of 
the commission; and in the language of Strype in his Me- 
morials of the Archbishop, ''As his authority was now very 
great, so there was undoubtedly great deference paid to it, 
as also to his wisdom and learning, by the rest of the divines 
appointed to that work; so that nothing was by them in- 
serted into the liturgy but by his good allowance and appro- 
bation; so neither would they reject or oppose what he 
thought fit should be put in or altered." * This Second 
Prayer Book did not, however, have time to come into use 
in all parts of the kingdom. In 1553 King Edward died, 
and Mary ascended the throne. With her father's obstinacy 
of character, she was fanatically devoted to the religion of 
her mother. She at once set about restoring Roman Cathol- 
icism; and naturally one of her first acts was the abolition 
of the Prayer Book and the restoration of the Roman Missal. 
The persecution that followed has forever fixed her name in 
history as " Bloody Mary." Hooper, Ridley, Latimer, 
* Burbidge's Liturgies and Offices of the Church, p. 166. 



FORMS OF WORSHIP IN REFORMED CHURCHES. 303 

Cranmer and several hundred others perished at the stake. 
*' Play the man, Master Ridley," said Latimer as he stood in 
the flames ; " we shall this day light up such a candle, by 
God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." 
This hope was not disappointed. The fanaticism and cru- 
elty of Mary produced a reaction in favor of Protestantism. 
When in 1558 Mary died, Elizabeth was heartily welcomed 
to the throne. She was conservatively Protestant — Luth- 
eran rather than Calvinistic. In re-establishing Protestant- 
ism, she proceeded cautiously and as circumstances required. 
In 1559 she ventured to restore the Prayer Book, not, how- 
ever, in the exact shape it bore in 1552, but with various 
modifications, which exhibit a conservative and Romanizing 
tendency. Other revisions, one in 1604 under James I., and 
another in 1662, after the restoration of Charles II., showed 
the same conservative direction, and left the Prayer Book 
in its present form. The arrangement of the chief service or 
Communion is as follows : 

PART I. (the word group.) 

1. Lord's Prayer, the people kneeling. 

2. Collect for Purity. 

3. The Ten Commandments. The people continue on 
their knees, and after every commandment say : '' Lord, have 
mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law." 

4. Collect for the Queen, followed by the collect for the 
day. 

5. Epistle. 

6. Gospel, the people standing. 

7. Apostles' Creed. Here follow the announcements. 

8. Sermon. 

part II. (the EUCHARIST.) 

1. Offertory. This consists of one or more texts of Scrip- 
ture, during the reading of which by the minister, the dea- 
cons collect the offerings. 

2. Prayer for the Church militant on the earth. 



304 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

3. Exhortation. 

4. Confession of sin, with absolution, and a few comfort- 
ing verses of Scripture. 

5. Sursum Corda. 

6. Preface, with the Sanctus. 

7. Prayer for blessed participation. 

8. Prayer of consecration, with the words of institution. 

9. Distribution, the priest communing first himself, and 
afterwards giving the elements to the people who kneel. 

10. The Lord's Prayer, followed by a prayer of thanks- 
giving, the people kneeling. 

11. Gloria in Excelsis. 

12. Benediction. 

As Koestlin has justly remarked, this order of service 
bears the character of eclecticism. Its parts have been 
brought from various sources. Its use of the vernacular 
tongue places it in sharp contrast with the Roman service, 
and ranges it among the liturgies of the Reformation. The 
retention of traditional forms appears at first sight to make 
it a liturg}^ of the Lutheran type; but, on closer examination, 
this is found to be a mistake. Its abundant use of Scrip- 
ture, its formula for the distribution of the elements in the 
Lord's Supper, and its indifference to the festivals commem- 
orating the principal events in the life of our Lord, make it 
a liturgy of the Reformed type. With much that is beauti- 
ful and edifying, the Anglican liturgy is not wholly free 
from defects. The collect for the Queen interrupts the prog- 
ress of the service; and the parts after the sermon are too 
loosely connected in motive, and too tedious in movement. 
While the communion is intended to be the central thing in 
the service, it does not sufficiently control and harmonize all 
its parts. '' While the attempt is made," says Koestlin, "' to 
govern the entire action by the idea of the Eucharist, the 
dualism of the service for catechumens and the service of 
believers is not wholly overcome." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

RECENT LITURGICAL MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 

The Church of the sixteenth century did not undertake 
to construct an absokitely new hturgy. It returned in spirit 
to the principles of the New Testament; but at the same 
time, especially in Germany, it contented itself with adopting 
such parts of the Roman liturgy as were thought to minister 
to edification, and in no Avay to conflict with evangelical 
truth. Proceeding with carefully conservative spirit, the re- 
formers in some cases made concessions to the ignorance and 
prejudices of the people, and in others did not clearly con- 
sider the internal relations of the several parts adopted from 
the liturgy of the Mass. Hence we find that the position of 
the Creed, of the Kyrie and of the Lord's Prayer, is not 
everywhere the same. But the most striking circumstance 
and apparent inconsistency is in relation to the Eucharist. 
This is made a part of every leading service, although in 
principle the proclamation of the Word is considered the 
central point in worship. In the position and prominence 
thus given to the sacrament, the German reformers followed 
the practice, not of the Apostolic, but of the Roman Catholic 
Church, and introduced a dualism into worship which easily 
led to a rejection or neglect of their fundamental principle 
of the pre-eminence of the Word. 

The theological strifes of the seventeenth century natur- 
ally led to formalism in worship. This is the period of 
scholastic orthodoxy. The intellectual energies of the 
Church were largely absorbed in the effort to develop, fix 
and defend systems of doctrine. The theological writings of 
this period are remarkable for their comprehensive treat- 
ment and logical acuteness. But in giving so much atten- 
20 (305) 



3o6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

tion to dogma, the Church in large measure lost sight of the 
law of love and duty. Christianity was made a matter of 
doctrine rather than of life. In the language of Kurtz, 
''Orthodoxy degenerated into orthodoxism; externally, not 
only discovering essential differences, but disregarding the 
broad basis of a common faith, and running into odious and 
unrestrained controversy ; internally, holding to the form of 
pure doctrine, but neglecting cordially to embrace it, and to 
live consistently with it." * Purity of doctrine was unduly 
emphasized. The Scriptures were looked upon chiefly as a 
source of dogmatic truth, and the office of the ministry de- 
generated into a mere teaching of Lutheran orthodoxy. The 
outward acceptance of a system of doctrine took the place of 
a regenerated heart. The prayers and hymns used in con- 
gregational worship became means of instruction in " pure 
doctrine," and the celebration of the Lord's Supper was 
made a test of confessional fidelity. In the presence of this 
ultra confessional spirit, which magnified the importance of 
accepting an extended doctrinal system, worship naturally 
tended to formalism. This tendency was confirmed by the 
demoralizing effects of the Thirty Years' War, and, at 
length, in the words of Koestlin, '' The liturgy became a 
mere form, and worship no longer answered the demand of 
subjective truth. But according to the meaning of the re- 
formers, the purpose of all the regulations and forms of 
worship was to beget a new life through the Word and holy 
sacraments as means of grace, to educate the Christian con- 
gregation to an adoration of God in spirit and in truth, to 
build the people up in Christian character, in order that what 
the liturgy pre-supposed and placed in the mouth of the con- 
gregation might in some measure at least become subjective 
truth." t 

This exclusive confessional tendency, known in ecclesias- 
tical history as '' dead orthodoxy," could not everywhere 
satisfy the Christian conscience. It naturally called forth 

* Church History, Vol. II., p. 196. 

t Geschichte des Christ, Gottes., p. 221. 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 307 

a reaction, which consisted essentially in a return to an evan- 
gelical conception of Christianity. This movement, which 
was stigmatized by its opponents as Pietism, began with 
Spener. He desired to substitute the Scriptures in place of 
a scholastic theology, as the living source of all saving 
knowledge, to make the outward orthodox confession a real 
faith in the heart, and to embody Christian principles in the 
daily life. According to Alt, Pietism '' had no other object 
than to restore internal piety to its place. Before this time, 
attendance upon preaching, no matter what its character, 
was held as something meritorious. Whatever was preached 
from the pulpit was held as God's Word, and scarcely any 
one ventured the least doubt that under all circumstances 
it must work a blessing." * But within the Pietistic move- 
ment divine service became less mechanical ; and its bless- 
ings came to the worshiping assembly, not through the per- 
formance of a meritorious work, but through the Word 
operating upon the mind and heart. In discussing the rela- 
tion of Pietism to worship, Koestlin says : " It sought to 
reach the subjective truth of worship by completing and 
deepening the work of the Church; by realizing and devel- 
oping Christianity in the individuals who form the Church 
and attend worship, and thus, within the Church late dicta, 
to realize in greater measure, by the conversion and renewal 
of men, the Church proprie dicta f f Though in its extreme 
development it led to a one-sided subjectivism in worship, 
Pietism had an evangelical basis and exerted a wide influ- 
ence. It helped to banish from the Church sacerdotal arro- 
gance, superficial confessionalism and inconsistent living. 
It added largely to the hymnological treasures of the Church, 
and restored the earnest, practical preaching of the Refor- 
mation era. In conformity with the principles of Protes- 
tant worship, it held congregational assemblies for the hear- 
ing of the Word without the administration of the sacra- 
ment. It made use of free prayers, regarded liturgical 

* Christlicher Cultus, p. 318. 

t Geschichte des Christ. Gottes., p. 221. 



308 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

forms with indifference, and allowed the minister greater 
freedom in the direction of worship. " Pietism poured a 
mighty religious stream into the national life," says Kurtz, 
" and sustained it by zealous preaching, pastoral care, devo- 
tional meetings, and an almost exuberant devotional litera- 
ture. Orthodoxy, also, which had been enriched by Piet- 
ism, manifested a not less efficient and still more sterling 
activity through ministry, word and pen." * 

The rationalism of the eighteenth century exerted a bale- 
ful influence both upon the forms and spirit of worship. It 
began with Deism in England, then gained ascendency in 
France, and afterwards extended to Germany: It is desig- 
nated by the Germans the period of ''Anfkldritng " or " illu- 
minism." It exalted the powers of human reason, and elim- 
inated everything supernatural from Christianity. While 
making use of the Scriptures, it found nothing in them be- 
yond a religion of nature. In its hostility to tradition, it 
swept away many existing institutions. It took possession 
of the literature and culture of the age. It gained a foothold 
in the palaces of kings, and among the leaders of popular 
opinion. 

In this atmosphere of rationalism and infidelity, the 
Church declined. The clergy became lukewarm and skepti- 
cal. Worship was made to conform to a shallow sentimen- 
tality. The sermon degenerated often to the level of a lec- 
ture, aiming at entertainment, or, at the most, merely moral 
instruction. The litlirgical forms were revised, and the clear 
objective statements of Scripture doctrine gave place to sup- 
erficial rhetorical platitudes. 

In discussing rationalism in its relation to worship, Koest- 
lin says : " Christianity is to it only the historical introduc- 
tion of natural religion, especially the religion of reason, of 
true morality : the Church has worth only so far as it is a 
school of virtue and worship, only so far as it furthers mor- 
ality by means of instruction. Hence the specifically Chris- 
* Church History, p. 250. 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 309 

tian and Biblical impress of worship in speech and forms is 
by all means to be subordinated to this moral improvement ; 
and if it does not promote this end, but extends beyond the 
comprehension of the average man, it is to be adjusted to 
his intelligence, and made to suit the congregation as it is. 
Thus, while Pietism sought to build up the existing congre- 
gation to the height of the Christianity finding expression in 
the liturgy, rationalism strove to accommodate the liturgy to 
the state of knowledge existing in the congregation." * 

The rise of Methodism in England was significant for 
Church life and worship. It accomplished for the Estab- 
lished Church in England what Pietism, which it much re- 
sembled, accomplished for the Lutheran Church in Germany. 
In the earlier part of the eighteenth century, the religious 
life of England was at low ebb. The clergy were in large 
measure idle, indifferent and worldly; the masses were neg- 
lected and the churches were empty. A spirit of intoler- 
ance prevailed, and preachers seemed more eager to de- 
nounce their absent adversaries than to edify and save their 
congregations. Bishop Butler declared in 1736, '' It is come, 
I know not how, to be taken for granted by many persons 
that Christianity is not so much as a subject of inquiry, but 
that it is now at length discovered to be fictitious. And ac- 
cordingly they treat it as if, in the present age, this were an 
agreed point among all people of discernment, and nothing 
remained but to set it up as a principal subject of mirth and 
ridicule, as it were by way of reprisals for its having so long 
interrupted the pleasures of the world." In the midst of this 
low spiritual condition, which was recognized and lamented 
by able and pious men, help came from an unexpected 
source. In 1729 several Oxford students, among whom 
were John and Charles Wesley and George Whiteiield, or- 
ganized themselves into a society for the study of the Scrip- 
tures and religious conversation. They adopted rather 
ascetic rules of life; and on account of their methodical ob- 
* Geschichte des Chris. Gottes., p. 225. 



3IO CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

servance of them, they became known among their fellow- 
students as Methodists. They frequently partook of the 
Communion, and were diligent in visiting the poor and con- 
soling the suffering. 

From this small body of Oxford students there came sev- 
eral great preachers who stirred the religious life of England 
and America. They were subject to ridicule and persecu- 
tion ; but their impassioned sermons, charged with the great 
doctrines of sin, death, judgment, faith, eternal life, pro- 
foundly moved the popular mind and heart. The congrega- 
tions, assembled in the open air, often numbered many thou- 
sands, and not infrequently melted into tears under the ap- 
peals of this unconventional but powerful oratory. At the 
time of Wesley's death, in 1791, the Methodists of England 
and America, who were now organized in societies, num- 
bered m.ore than a hundred thousand, and at the present time 
they rank as one of the great denominations of the English- 
speaking world. Their mode of worship, consisting of sing- 
ing, free prayer. Scripture reading and preaching, is very 
simple. Emphasizing the emotional side of religion, their 
worship is characterized by fervor of spirit. Their principal 
hymn-writer is Charles Wesley, whose songs have found 
wide acceptance outside of the Methodist Church. 

With the beginning of the present century there came a 
healthy reaction against rationalism in Germany. The hor- 
rors of the French Revolution revealed to the world the ef- 
fects of atheism upon society. The humiliation of Germany 
under the conquests of Napoleon turned the eyes of the na- 
tion to God for help ; and when at length deliverance came, 
there was a natural outburst of joyful thanksgiving. The 
Holy Alliance entered into in 181 5 by Alexander I., Francis 
1. and Frederick William III., had as its avowed object '' to 
make Christianity the highest law of national life, in spite of 
all confessional dissensions." 

With this revival of religious feeling, there appeared a 
number of able theologians, who gave direction and form to 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 3II 

the newly awakened Christian hfe. Modern theology dates 
from this period. Among those who exerted a specially 
significant influence upon doctrine and worship was Schleier- 
macher. " The chief service which he rendered to theology," 
says Dorner, '' and that which above all else makes him an 
important figure in its history, is that he overcame that an- 
tagonism of rationalism and supernaturalism which pre- 
vailed till about 1820." * Religion he considered, not a func- 
tion of the intelligence and will, but of the religious nature 
of man. Essentially he held religion to be a feeling of abso- 
lute dependence upon God. With this distinct recognition of 
the religious nature of man, worship could not be regarded 
as a meritorious act or artistic performance, but as a need 
and expression of the inward spiritual life. 

After the Napoleonic wars, Prussia became one of the 
great powers of Europe, and the champion of Protestantism. 
The Protestant portion of the population, which largely pre- 
dominated over the Roman Catholic element, was divided 
between the Lutheran and the Reformed Church. In order 
to avoid hurtful dissensions, it seemed desirable to the gov- 
ernment to bring about a union of the two Churches. The 
time was favorable. The bitter polemical spirit of a former 
age had in large measure disappeared. The union which 
was effected upon the tercentenary jubilee of the Reforma- 
tion in 1817, was not a fusion of confessions, but a fellow- 
ship in Christian love. While each Church retained its con- 
fession, there was practical recognition and co-operation 
under a single church government. In 1822 a new liturgy, 
in the preparation of which the king himself had partici- 
pated, was introduced. It is a free reproduction of the 
ancient service, but lacks the unity of a single organic prin- 
ciple. Its parts are as follows : 

1. Introductory hymn. 

2. ''In the name of the Father," etc. 

3. Confession of Sin. 

* Hist. Prot. Theol., Vol. II., p. Z7^- 



312 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

4. Introit. 

5. Gloria Patri. 

6. Kyrie. 

7. Gloria in Excelsis. 

8. Salutation. '' The Lord be with you," etc. 

9. Epistle. 

10. Hallelujah. 

11. Gospel. 

12. '' Praise be to thee," etc. 

13. Creed. 

14. Preface. c 

15. General Prayer. 

16. Lord's Prayer. 

17. Hymn. 

18. Sermon. 

19. Benediction. 

lord's supper. 

20. Admonition. 

21. Words of Institution. 

22. '' The peace of God." 

23. Prayer. 

24. Distribution. 

25. Thanksgiving. 

26. Benediction. 

Contrary to the evangelical principle of worship, the re- 
sponses are made, not by the congregation, but by the choir. 
Where a choir was lacking, a shorter and simpler form of 
service was provided, as follows : 

1. Hymn. 

2. '' In the name of the Father," etc. 

3. Confession of Sin. 

4. Kyrie. 

5. Gloria Patri. 

6. Salutation. 

7. Collect. 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 313 

8. Scripture Lessons. 

9. Creed. 

10. General Prayer. 

11. Lord's Prayer. 

12. Principal Hymn. 

13. Sermon. 

14. Benediction. 

The adoption of the Prussian liturgy gave rise to much 
discussion, and consequently to renewed activity in the 
sphere of liturgies. The discussion was participated in by 
some of the ablest theologians of Germany, among whom 
were Schleiermacher, Augusti, Nitzsch, Marheineke and 
others. Since that time the subject of liturgies has received 
much attention in Germany, and there are many works treat- 
ing of the history, principles and forms of worship. With 
this study has come a clearer liturgical insight, and a higher 
appreciation of traditional forms. Among those who have 
shown a decided High Church tendency, or to use the words 
of Kurtz, '' a Romanizing tendency with regard to the idea 
of the Church and of the ministry," are William Lohe and 
Theodore Kliefoth, whose liturgical writings have exerted a 
wide influence. This tendency, which Dorner justly charac- 
terizes as "German Puseyism," represents pastors as success- 
ors of the xA^postles, and ascribes to them a priestly charac- 
ter; it magnifies the sacraments as means of grace, and 
makes their administration the central point in worship; it 
exalts the power of the keys, which is placed alone in the 
hands of the clerical order; and in opposition to the con- 
current testimony of the Protestant Reformation, it repre- 
sents the Church, not as a spiritual communion of saints, but 
as a visible organization. 

But Puseyism was an alien in Germany, and never became 
naturalized. About the year 1868 it began to disappear. It 
has left no permanent impression on theological thought or 
on ecclesiastical practice in Germany. The Lutheran 
churches of South Germany persevere in that simplicity of 



314 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

worship which they received from their Reformation fath- 
ers. In Central and Northern Germany the Lutheran 
churches continue to model their forms of worship on the 
Orders of the sixteenth century. Numerous revisions have 
occurred in recent decades. Nearly every territorial Church 
has its own particular Agende, which differs more or less 
from those of other territorial churches. In this respect, 
the old Lutheran custom of complete independence in the 
forms and ceremonies of religion is still preserved. * 

In 1894 the General Synod of Prussia accepted the re- 
vised Agende that had been long in course of preparation. 
In the order of public worship it differs very little from its 
predecessor, as shown in the outline given above. It ex- 
hibits great freedom of movement and makes large pro- 
vision for variations and substitutions. It allows a choice 
between five forms for the distribution of the elements in 
the Lord's Supper, as ''equally entitled " : 

" Take and eat, says our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; 
. . . Take and drink all ye of it, says our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. This cup is the New Testament in my blood," 
etc. 

'' Take and eat. This is the body of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, given unto death for thee (you) (for all thy [your] 
sins given unto death). May it strengthen and keep thee 
(you) in faith unto everlasting life. Amen. Take and 
drink. This is the blood," etc. 

Or: 

" The body of our Lord Jesus Christ given unto death for 
thee. May it strengthen and keep thee in faith unto ever- 
lasting life. Amen. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ," 
etc. 

" The bread which we break is the communion of the 
body of Christ. The cup which we bless is the communion 
of the blood of Christ." 

* See Handbuch der Liturgik von G. Rietschel, I., pp. 452 et seq., 
and Real EncycL, Vol. III., Art. Kirchenagende. 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 315 

• Or: 

" The cup of thanksgiving with which we give thanks, is 
the communion of the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgive- 
ness of our sins." 

The Tractarian or Puseyite movement in England, which 
began in 1833 with the publication of the first Tract for the 
Times, deserves more than passing mention for the potent 
influence it exerted upon theology and worship. The lead- 
ers of this movement were John Keble, John Henry New- 
man, Frederick William Faber, Edward Bouverie Pusey 
and others, all members of Oriel College, Oxford. In gen- 
eral, it was a protest against the liberal or tolerant spirit of 
the present age, and an effort to restore the dogmas and the 
ecclesiasticism of the Middle Ages. It disowned the work 
of the great body of Protestant reformers, and rejected their 
distinctive teachings. While the Tractarians did not directly 
treat of forms of worship, from the discussion of which they 
purposely abstained, their doctrines in reference to the 
Church, the ministry and the sacraments, as they well un- 
derstood, naturally led to the multiplication of forms, vest- 
ments and acts, which taken together constitute what is 
known as ritualism. 

The study of this movement is full of instruction, as re- 
vealing the principles and tendencies of all High Churchism. 
It exalts the authority of tradition. In opposition to the 
Protestant principle of the supreme authority of the Scrip- 
tures in faith and practice, it teaches that " Scripture and 
tradition taken together are the joint rule of faith." * The 
figment of '' Catholic tradition " is much dwelt upon. As 
in Roman Catholicism, this principle clearly opens the way 
for the introduction of unevangelical ideas and practices 
into the Protestant Church. 

The Tractarians define the Church, not as a communion 
of saints united to Christ by a living faith and love, but as a 
visible organization presided over by the various orders of 
* Tract No. 78. 



3l6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the ministry. Speaking of the Chvirch, Tract No. 2 says:' 
" Doubtless the only true and satisfactory meaning is that 
which our divines have ever taken, that there is on earth an 
existing society, Apostolic, as founded by the Apostles, Cath- 
olic, because it spreads its branches in every place, i. e., the 
Church visible, with its bishops, priests and deacons." The 
clerical order is perpetuated by Apostolic succession. In 
the first Tract for the Times it is declared that '' The Lord 
Jesus gave his spirit to the Apostles ; they in turn laid their 
hands upon those who succeeded them ; these on others ; and 
so the sacred gift has been handed down to our present 
bishops." Without this Apostolic succession, there is no 
valid administration of the sacraments. '' The Eucharist, 
administered without Apostolic commission, may, to pious 
minds, be a very edifying ceremony, but it is not that blessed 
thing which our Saviour graciously meant it to be : it is not, 
verily and indeed, taking and receiving the body and blood 
of him, our incarnate Lord." * 

In regard to the sacraments, the Tractarians held to an 
administrative efficacy that does not differ essentially from 
the opus operatum of the Roman Church. They believed in 
baptismal regeneration, and taught a real presence in the 
Eucharist that differed from the Roman Catholic view, to 
use the words of Dr. Pusey, '' probably only in words." The 
sacraments were made the channels through which grace 
and salvation were officially communicated to men. The 
clergy were represented as a priesthood acting as mediators 
between God and man, without whom, as the custodians of 
the means of grace, there could be no salvation. All this is 
obviously akin to the system of the Roman Catholic Church. 
Hence it is not surprising to find in the Tracts for the Times 
a longing for communion with that body. Speaking of the 
Roman Catholics, Tract No. 20 says : '' The vaunted an- 
tiquity, the universality, the unanimity of their Church puts 
them above the varying fashions of the world and the relig- 
* Tract No. 52. 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 317 

ious novelties of the day; and truly, when one surveys the 
grandeur of their system, a sigh arises in the thoughtful 
mind to think that we should be separate from them." And 
at a later date a number of the leading Tractarians, among 
them Newman and Faber, entered the Roman communion, 
taking with them hundreds of the clergy and laity. 

This Tractarian system naturally tends to externalism in 
worship. It transfers the work of the Church from the 
realm of the spiritual to the realm of the visible. Chris- 
tianity is made a matter of ordinances. Salvation is made 
to depend, not upon the faith and love of the heart, but upon 
the reception of the sacraments administered by priestly 
hands. The sacraments are exalted at the expense of the 
public teaching of the Gospel. Clerical vestments were mul- 
tiplied, and credence-tables, altar-crosses, altar-lights and 
colored altar-cloths became parts of the regular church fur- 
niture. Church buildings were restored or constructed in 
accordance with mediaeval ideas. 

This ritualistic and anti-Protestant tendency naturally 
aroused opposition ; but through the energy and influence of 
the High Church party it has been able to maintain itself for 
nearly half a century. The combat has not yet ceased, but 
in the presence of a clearer apprehension of the spirit of 
Christianity, and of the great need of practical Church work, 
its force is necessarily waning. 

The most noteworthy liturgical achievement in America 
has been the preparation of a Common Service Book for all 
English-speaking Lutherans by the joint action of the Gen- 
eral Synod South (now the United Synod of the South), 
the General Synod North, and the General Council. The 
initiative step was taken by the General Synod South in 
1878. The rule by which the Joint Committee appointed by 
these general bodies was to be guided in the preparation of 
the service was " The common consent of the pure Lutheran 
liturgies of the sixteenth century, and where there is not an 
entire agreement among them, the consent of the largest 



31 8 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

number of those of greatest weight." The preHminary prin- 
ciples agreed upon at a meeting held in Philadelphia in 1885 
were as follows : 

1. ''It is the understanding of the whole Joint Committee 
that the result of our labors must be referred to the bodies 
we represent. 

2. " We dare make no service binding on the congrega- 
tion, and no part of a service should be used any longer than 
it serves to edification. 

3. " We agree to furnish the full Lutheran service, with 
all its provisions, for all who wish to use it. 

4. "If at any time or place the use of the full service is 
not desired, it is in entire conformity with good Lutheran 
usage that a simpler service may be provided and used in 
which only the principal parts of the service in their order 
are contained." 

The normal Lutheran service as determined by the com- 
mittee is as follows : 

1. Introit. 

2. Kyrie. 

3. Gloria in Excelsis. 

4. Collect. 

5. Epistle. 

6. Alleluia. 

7. Gospel. 

8. Creed. 

9. Sermon. 

10. General Prayer. 

11. Preface. 

12. Sanctus and Hosanna. 

13. Exhortation to Communicants. 

14. Lord's Prayer and Words of Institution, or the re- 
verse. 

15. Agnus Dei. 

16. Distribution. 

17. Collect of Thanksgiving. 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 319 

18. Benediction. 

This normal Lutheran service, with the additions proposed 
by the Joint Committee in their report to the General Bodies, 
is as follows : 

1. Hymn of Invocation. 

2. '' In the name of the Father," etc. 

3. Confession of Sins. 

4. Introit. 

5. Kyrie. 

6. Gloria in Excelsis. 

7. Collect. 

8. Epistle. 

9. Alleluia. 

10. Gospel. 

11. Creed. 

12. Principal Hymn. 

13. Sermon. 

14. General Prayer. 

15. Hymn. 

16. Preface. 

17. Sanctus and Hosanna. 

18. Exhortation to Communicants. 

19. Lord's Prayer and Words of Institution, or the re- 
verse. 

20. Agnus Dei. 

21. Distribution. 

22. Thanksgiving. 

23. Benediction. 

As thus presented in outline, the normal Lutheran ser- 
vice, with the additions suggested by the Committee, was 
approved by the General Bodies. 

The Common Service, as completed and published by the 
Committee, consists of the following parts : 

1. Hymn of Invocation. 

2. " In the name of the Father," etc. 

3. Confession of Sins, consisting of exhortation, ad- 



320 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

jutorium, versicle (" I said I will confess," etc.), confession, 
confessional prayer, and declaration of grace or absolution. 
A. Introit. 

5. Gloria Patri. 

6. Kyrie. 

7. Gloria in Excelsis. 

8. Salutation (" The Lord be with you," and response). 
0. Collect. 

10. Epistle. 

11. Halleluiah, to which may be added a Psalm or hymn. 

12. Gospel announced, followed by " Glory be to thee, O 
Lord." 

13. Gospel read, followed by " Praise be to thee, O 
Christ." 

14. Creed. 

15. Hymn. 

16. Sermon. 

17. Votum (" The peace of God." etc.). 

18. Offertory.^ 

19. General Prayer. 

20. Lord's Prayer. 

21. Hymn. 

22. Salutation (" The Lord be with you," and response). 

23. Sursum Corda (''Lift up your hearts," etc.) 

24. Preface. 

25. Sanctus. 

26. Exhortation. 

27. The Lord's Prayer and Words of Listitution. 

28. Pax Vobiscum. 

29. Agnus Dei. 

30. Distribution. 

31. Nunc Dimittis. 

32. Thanksgiving Collect. 

33. Benedicamus. 

34. Benediction. 

When the communion is not administered, the service is 
concluded with the Benediction after the second hvmn. 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 32 1 

A comparison of these tables will show, (i) the normal 
Lutheran service ; (2) the normal Lutheran service with the 
additions approved by the General Bodies; and (3) the 
normal Lutheran service with the approved additions, and 
the additions made by the Committee apparently upon their 
own authority. These last additions consist of the versicle 
in the Confiteor, '' I said I will confess my transgressions 
unto the Lord," with the response, '' And thou forgavest the 
iniquity of my sin ;" the response to the announcement of the 
Gospel, " Glory be to thee, O Lord," and the sentence fol- 
lowing the reading, '' Praise be to thee, O Christ ; " the 
votum, ''The peace of God," etc.; the offertory; the salu- 
tation, Sursum Corda, Pax vobiscum, Nunc Dimittis and 
Benedicamus. Besides these additions, the rubrics for an- 
nouncing the Epistle and the Gospel are unlike anything 
found in the liturgies of the sixteenth century, and the in- 
troits and collects correspond, not to the limited system 
adopted .in the Lutheran orders of the Reformation era, but 
to the Roman Catholic usage of the Middle Ages. 

The publication of the Common Service has been attended 
by much discussion, especially in the General Synod North. 
No consideration of its merits or demerits is here attempted, 
and only the leading historic facts, which have been fre- 
quently lost sight of, are briefly stated. What the outcome 
of the present agitation will be it is impossible clearly to 
foresee. Meanwhile, most persons acquainted with the facts 
will agree in wishing that the normal Lutheran service had 
been more closely adhered to. 

At the present time there are various causes which tend 
more or less to a liturgical form of divine service. In the 
first place, there is a widespread feeling that the sermon is 
often m.ade too prominent, and that the congregation should 
have a larger share in the service. Furthermore, where 
preaching is largely destitute of evangelical elements, or for 
any reason ceases to be truly edifying, it is recognized that 
a well-constructed liturgy is a valuable corrective in present- 



322 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ing the great leading truths of the Gospel, and in calling into 
active exercise the spiritual energies of the people. When 
the ministry have lost confidence in the power of the truth 
as presented in preaching, and come to look upon their 
office as a priestly administration of outward ordinances, 
they naturally tend to surround themselves with an imposing 
ceremonial. When a spirit of worldly-mindedness invades 
the Church, and spiritual worship j^ecomes irksome or im- 
possible, a complicated liturgy, which substitutes responses, 
risings and genuflections for the adoration of the heart, 
finds a cordial reception. If in addition to this, the liturgy, 
through its spectacular and musical form, can be made 
pleasing to the sesthetical sense, it becomes still more pop- 
ular. 

These are some of the causes, commendable or objection- 
able, which in recent years have created a widely extended 
desire for liturgical forms. Alany forms of service, mostly 
without liturgical insight, have been used in the churches of 
this country. Responsive readings have become quite com- 
mon. In periodicals, books, and ecclesiastical assemblies of 
non-liturgical churches, liturgical forms have recently found 
friends and advocates. The Andhver Reviezv (October, 
1884) says editorially that " Public worship in the non-lit- 
urgical churches is manifestly gaining in fullness and sym- 
metry." A Presbyterian author in the South, in a volume 
published a short time ago, says: '* The statement is confi- 
dently made that there is a movement among several of the 
denominations in the direction of liturgical services, and it 
is likely to go much further in the future." * Still more sig- 
nificant were the utterances at the second General Council of 
the Presbyterian Alliance held in Philadelphia in 1880. The 
Rev. Roswell D. Hitchcock, D. D., LL. D., President of 
Union Theological Seminary, New York, read a paper on 
'' The Ceremonial, the Moral and the Emotional in Chris- 
tian Life and Worship." Among other things he says : 
* Kerr's The Voice of God in History, 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 323 

*' Our Presbyterian baldness is hurting us, is hurting us in 
many ways which need not be specified. And the hurt is 
gratuitous, since the cause of it is not one of our old Presby- 
terian traditions. Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox 
and the early reformers generally, were liturgists. Even the 
Westminster Assembly, which was anti-liturgical, set forth 
its Directory of Worship, which concedes, of course, the lit- 
urgical idea. ... I anticipate a revival of the old Church 
year. Clear back, close up to the Apostolic times, we find at 
least Passover, Pentecost and Epiphany. Christmas appears 
not long after. And then the calendar is crowded rapidly with 
festivals which disgusted our Protestant fathers, bringing 
the whole system into disrepute. As between Puritan and 
Papist, we side, of course, with the Puritan. But the older 
way is better than either. Judaism had more than its weekly 
Sabbath; and Christendom needs more. Christmas is lead- 
ing this new procession. Good Friday, Easter and Whit- 
suntide are not far behind. These at least can do us no 
harm. They emphasize the three grand facts and features 
of our religion: Incarnation, Atonement and Regeneration." 
The very able discussion that followed showed a strong lit- 
urgical sentiment in the Council. Such facts as these, which 
might be indefinitely extended, leave no doubt that there is a 
growing sentiment in favor of a liturgy among the non- 
liturgical churches of Protestantism. 

But this liturgical sentiment in the Presbyterian Church 
did not mature into visible form until the year 1903, when 
the General Assembly, at the instance of the Presbyteries of 
Denver and of New York, appointed a committee " to take 
into consideration and if possible to prepare, in harmony 
with the Directory for Worship, a Book of Simple Forms 
and Services, which shall be proper and helpful for volun- 
tary use in the Presbyterian churches in the celebration of 
the Sacraments, in marriages and funerals and in the con- 
duct of public worship.'' It was resolved: 

" That in the preparation of these voluntary services the 



324 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

Committee be instructed to draw from the Holy Scriptures 
and the usage of the Reformed Churches; to avoid those 
forms which savor of rituahsm; to embody sound doctrine 
in the language of orderly devotion, and to keep ever in 
mind the end of Presbyterian worship, which is that all the 
people should join in the service of God, as he is revealed in 
Jesus Christ." * ^ 

In the year 1905 the Committee finally reported The Book 
of Common Worship, which is for voluntary use, but it has 
not been largely introduced into Presbyterian churches. 

But there is another class of facts and tendencies, now to 
be considered, which render it absolutely certain that litur- 
gical forms will never again have the elaborateness of the 
liturgies of the Eastern or of the Mediaeval Church. The 
conditions and causes producing those elaborate forms, as 
presented in previous chapters, can not flourish in the Protes- 
tant Church of America. That this is a practical age is a 
trite remark; but it is an important truth, which throws 
much light on existing tendencies in the Church. The 
power of tradition and superstition is broken ; and every in- 
stitution is carefully examined on its merits. If it can not 
justify its existence on the ground of utility, it is, in spite of 
its venerable antiquity, resolutely laid aside. In recent years 
this practical tendency has been very active, not only in the 
mechanic arts, but also in science, government, education 
and religion. The methods of church work have been mod- 
ified and expanded to suit the new conditions of modern 
life. In the presence of this practical tendency, no liturgy 
that does not obviously minister to the edification and 
growth of the Church can successfully establish itself. 

Apart from the practical tendency of the age, the Gospel 
is now understood to be, not simply a matter of passive 
faith, but of active work. The activity of the Church of to- 
day in missionary and benevolent enterprises is one of its 
most distinctive and most honorable features. The Church 
* Minutes of the General Assembly, 1903, pp. 113, 114. 



RKCKNT MOVKMKNTS AND TENDENCIES. 325 

is actively engaged in leavening humanity. Missionaries are 
laboring in every land ; and at home, the poor and the igno- 
rant and the unsaved are provided with aid and instruc- 
tion. In the presence of this Christian activity, which aims 
at winning the world for Christ, the adoption of an elaborate 
liturgy can never be looked upon as an end greatly to be 
desired. Indeed, such a liturgy will appear inconsistent 
with this spirit of work; and all liturgies, whether long or 
short, will be relegated to the sphere of adiaphora, where 
they were wisely placed by the early Protestant reformers. 

Furthermore, the dogmatic ideas in regard to the priest- 
hood, the sacraments and the Church, which originally gave 
rise to elaborate liturgies, can never find general acceptance 
in Protestant Christendom. This is an age of widely dif- 
fused intelligence. Intellectual activity is pushing its inves- 
tigations in every direction. The Bible, with extraordinary 
facilities for understanding its meaning, is in every hand. 
The Scriptures were never so generally and so thoroughly 
understood. The history of the Church, as portrayed by 
friend and foe, is widely known. Emancipated from an 
authoritative teaching, which in a former age expected and 
enforced blind submission, men now read and judge for 
themselves. In the midst of such circumstances, the sacer- 
dotal pretensions of the ministry will be either scorned or 
laughed at; and the claim that the visible Church is identi- 
cal with the kingdom of God, and hence under unerring 
divine guidance, will be indignantly met with the humiliat- 
ing facts of its errors, superstition and cruelty in the past. 

Again, there is an unmistakable tendency to unity in the 
Protestant world. In its fundamental principles, the Pro- 
testant reformation was the same in all countries. The 
divisions and antagonisms at present existing are felt more 
and more to be unwarranted and unevangelical. The doc- 
trinal systems, whose excessive development led to these 
divisions, are losing something of their rigidity. Funda- 
mental agreement is now being emphasized more than minor 



326 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

differences. Christian tolerance is steadily gaining ground. 
In this atmosphere of Christian brotherhood, there is a dis- 
inclination to fence in any portion of the Church with an 
exclusive liturgical wall. Where such tendencies exist, they 
are, though cloaked in ostensible zeal for the truth, essen- 
tially unevangelical, and inimical to the true interests of the 
Church of Christ. 

But more than this. The stern logic of events seems des- 
tined to accomplish, before many years, what human blind- 
ness and prejudice have so long hindered. Never was the 
Gospel subject to so many attacks as at the present time. 
Apparently all the agencies of perdition are rallying for a 
united effort to work its overthrow. A materialistic science, 
which dominates a considerable portion of the thinking 
world by reason of its brilliant and beneficent discoveries, 
is seeking to undermine the foundations of Christianity. 
The supernatural is denied. Skepticism is disseminated 
through sensational fiction and scholarly periodicals. Athe- 
istic social organizations are making war upon the Church 
and its institutions. Romanism is insidiously but persistently 
and successfully extending its power. Worldliness and un- 
belief are invading the Church itself. In the presence of all 
these dangers, which threaten the Church upon every side, 
Protestantism has no energies to waste in internal dissen- 
sions. It needs to recognize the principle laid down by 
Christ, that they who are not against us are on our part. 
Unless the various Protestant bodies draw closer together, 
they seem destined to perish from the earth. Apart from 
the spirit of the Gospel, which is love, the instinct of safety 
will draw or drive the various Protestant bodies closer 
together. In the face of this tendency, a liturgy which is 
exclusive by reason of its length and complexity, can not 
now be largely adopted. 

In view of all these facts, it seems sufficiently evident that 
the liturgies which may be hereafter adopted in the various 
Protestant churches, will be brief and simple. They will 



RECENT MOVEMENTS AND TENDENCIES. 327 

hardly be new productions, but rather improvements and 
renovations of the hturgies of the past. The hturgical labors 
of fifteen hundred years have not been fruitless. There are 
parts of the old orders that in richness of quality put our 
modern productions to shame. With a growing liturgical 
insight, our orders of service will embody the subjective and 
the objective — the human and the divine — in just propor- 
tion. The spiritual will dominate the aesthetic and the sen- 
suous; and simplicity of ceremonial will take the place of 
spectacular display. The congregation, and not simply a 
trained choir, will render the service. The leading festivals 
of the church year will be generally recognized, as commem- 
orating principal events in the Gospel history. But the at- 
tempt to keep up an ecclesiastical year alongside of the civil 
year, will probably be found to savor of the spirit of formal- 
ism. Christianity is now regarded, not as something apart 
from daily life, but as a renovation and sanctification of it. 
The use of Pericopes will be left optional. They were orig- 
inally devised as a remedy for clerical ignorance. In this 
age of wide intelligence, when the pulpit brings the Gospel 
to bear on all the duties and relations of life, it will be found 
wisest to place no trammel upon the ministry in the use of 
the Bible for public instruction. With the disappearance of 
sacerdotalism and associated doctrines, Christianity can not 
again become mechanical. The Word in its ethical and 
spiritual power will remain the center of ordinary public 
worship. Protestantism is founded on the Scriptures as the 
source of doctrine and practice. It was through the spoken 
Word that it achieved its earliest victories; and so long as 
it remains true to its fundamental principles, it will magnify 
the Sacred Scriptures as the source of light and life to men. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE WORD IN RELATION TO THE OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. 

The place of the Word of God in worship can be rightly 
discriminated and fixed only in the light of the general doc- 
trine of the means of grace. A brief reminder of this gen- 
eral doctrine, therefore, becomes the proper way to reach a 
correct understanding of the point involved in this chapter. 

I. The doctrine of the means of grace in Protestantism, 
and especially in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, has been 
determined, under the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, by 
the necessary demands of the great fundamental truth of 
justification by faith. This truth, known and emphasized as 
the '' material principle " of the Reformation, because it ex- 
pressed and forever expresses the essential and decisive 
thing in God's way of saving men through Jesus Christ, was 
and remains the central truth about which all the doctrines 
of salvation have taken shape in the unity and harmony of 
the Gospel system. The recovery of this fundamental and 
vital truth of forgiveness and life by grace through faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, at once threw full light especially on 
the nature and office of the means of grace, and quickly 
smote away the errors, perversions and abuses by which 
Rome had been falsifying the Gospel and corrupting the 
•Church. 

It is needful to recall wherein, particularly, lay the neces- 
sity of the Reformation. It arose, not especially from any 
prevalence of erroneous views of the Trinity, the person of 
Christ, the atonement, or any of the underlying doctrines of 
redemption, but from a destructive perversion and falsifica- 
tion of the doctrine of the Church, the ministry and the di- 
\'ine means of bestowing upon men the grace of forgiveness 

(328) 



OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. 329 

and salvation provided in the atonement and righteousness 
of Jesus Christ. The primal fountain of grace in the love of 
God and redemption by Christ was indeed open, but the 
channels of its true flow were obstructed and closed. The 
Church, as a vast hierarchy, asserted for itself complete con- 
trol of the treasures of salvation and their dispensation to 
the people. The one Mediator between God and man, who 
says to all, " Come unto me," was hidden behind a complex 
system of priestly mediations, offerings, confession, indul- 
gences, penances and work-righteousness. The ministry 
was turned into an exclusive sacerdotal order, with arrogant 
claims that denied to men immediate access to the grace of 
salvation through the alone High Priest of the Christian 
profession. Faith, wrought by the Holy Ghost through 
hearing and belief of the Gospel, it was taught, could not 
at all directly obtain justification or life,* but this was con- 
veyed only by baptism, which, it was declared, conferred it 
ex opere operate, that is, by the mere performance of the 
rite, zvithotit faith, provided the person did not offer positive 
resistance (obiceiii opponere). Faith was only knowledge 
or a cypher. Papal and priestly usurpations had reduced 
the people to a merely passive relation under the hierarchy 
that assumed to care for and adjust their spiritual concerns. 
The preaching of the Gospel was almost wholly silenced. 
The Church was robbed of the divine Word. The grace of 
salvation became a thing that was manipulated by external 
ceremonies, priestly rites, Masses, extreme unction and 
manifold other ecclesiastical inventions — all conducted, it 
must be added, under a system of mercenary extortion and 
oppression. All the parts of the churchly scheme combined 
to place the individual, not in fellowship with the Redeemer, 
but at a distance from him. He was made absolutely de- 
pendent upon the priestly hierarchy, which was made sole 
dispenser of the grace of salvation. To this he had to come 

* Thomas Aquinas. Council of Trent, Canon De Sacramentis, IV. 
and VIII. Bellarmin, De Sacramentis, I., 22. 



330 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

for every grace, though by its added doctrine of " inten- 
tion," he had to go away without guarantee of any. 

The Reformation, therefore, to be effectual, had, of neces- 
sity, to overthrow this falsification and perversion of the 
means of grace, and restore them to the place and purity of 
their original divine appointment, as God's own means for 
direct exhibition and conveyance of His saving grace to 
men. And this it accomplished as a necessary consequence 
of the full restoration of the great truth of free justification 
by faith alone. As " faith cometh by hearing, and hearing 
by the Word of God " (Rom. x. 17), this, in connection with 
the reassertion of the universal priesthood of believers, at 
once smote away the system of priestly mediations and 
opened immediate access of the individual soul to the divine 
Saviour. And hence in the Lutheran Christo-centric and 
evangelical theology, this great truth of forgiveness and life 
through faith alone, a living faith wrought by the Holy 
Spirit through the Word of God, became the all-determining 
and testing truth in the whole doctrine of the application of 
redemption. True faith, not as mere knowledge or a pas- 
sive assent to the general truth of the Gospel, but as living 
confidence of the heart obediently reposing on the work and 
promises of Christ, became clearly the one and only essen- 
tial thing for the reception of saving blessings offered in the 
means of grace. The priestly claim of power to confer grace 
without faith (ex opere operato) was broken. Neither 
Word nor sacrament, nor absolution, nor Church, can save 
without faith, but only in and through faith — the Word and 
the sacraments being, nevertheless, real, energetic, grace- 
bearing means, though not irresistible, through which, in 
the Holy Ghost, the grace of salvation is offered, and be- 
stowed upon those that believe. 

The unspeakable importance of the true and evangelical 
view of the means of grace is apparent from the vital rela- 
tion it thus sustains to the possession and maintenance of the 
pure Gospel of salvation and the purity of the Church. If 



OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. 33 1 

justification by faith is '' the article of a standing or faUing 
church,*' the doctrine of the means of grace is the article by 
which the truth of justification by faith is either kept or lost. 
And wherever the distinction, made so clearly by Luther and 
his co-reformers, between the Church as visible and invisihlc 
is repudiated, and union with the outward Church is made 
synonymous with spiritual union with Christ; wherever the 
ministry is exalted into a special class or order with priestly 
character and mediatorial functions, to the derogation of the 
universal priesthood of believers, and sacramental efficacy is 
emphasized above the Word for dispensing the grace of 
adoption and regeneration, there is a facing Romeward in 
partial retraction, or, at least, obscuration, of the full, pure 
doctrine of free justification by faith. 

2. The designation, *' the means of grace," in this rela- 
tion, is to be taken in its specific theological sense, and re- 
stricted to the Word and the two sacraments. Baptism and 
the Lord's Supper. There is, indeed, a popular sense of the 
expression which makes it include also all the various acts 
and exercises of faith, love, prayer. Christian fellowship, 
meditation, benevolent work, endurance of afilictions and 
use of privileges. These things are indeed means of spir- 
itual strength and growth in grace. 

" All common things, each day's events, 
That with the hour begin and end, 
Our pleasures and our discontents, '' 

Are rounds by which we may ascend." 

But the question in this chapter calls for a limitation of 
the designation to its strictly theological reference. And 
there are clear differences between the two senses that jus- 
tify such special appropriation of the term to the Word and 
sacraments. For these, as is apparent, are external or ob- 
jective, while the spiritual exercises mentioned are internal, 
belonging to the subjective life of the believer. And, fur- 
ther, the Word and sacraments are manifestly God's means 
tozvard us, while our prayers, and faith, and active endeav- 



33^ CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

ors, are our means toward God. The use in this restricted 
sense is therefore intended to hold our view distinctively to 
those things which God has appointed and ordained as his 
own means in which he comes to us in the light and power 
and grace of salvation. 

Means, in this special and high sense, are necessitated by 
the very nature of the relations of men as under an economy 
of provided mercy, forgiveness, regeneration and sanctifica- 
tion. Beyond the Father's gift of the Son, and ^the Son's 
high-priestly work, making atonement for the sins of the 
world, and the mission of the Holy Spirit, some settled 
modes or ways are manifestly requisite to make known, offer 
and effectually apply to men the provided saving grace. 
They are not saved by the mere opening of the " new and 
living way." Nor are they dealt with as blocks and stones. 
They are recovered to obedience and holiness through the 
free consent of their hearts and wills. And the great law 
for redemption's passing into real effect — so fixed as to form 
the condition of salvation — is : '' By grace are ye saved 
through faith " (Eph. ii. 8). '' God so loved the world, that 
he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on 
him should not perish but have everlasting life " (John iii. 
i6). " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Hfe; 
and he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life, but 
the wrath of God abideth on him " (John iii. 36). " Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved " (Acts 
xvi. 31). "' Christ is the end of the law for righteousness 
to every one that believeth " (Rom. x. 4). '' With the heart 
man believeth unto righteousness " (Rom. x. 10). The of- 
fice of the means of grace, therefore, becomes at once evi- 
dent in their appointment as the Holy Spirit's media or ways 
for showing the things of Christ to men and working in 
them a true and obedient faith, through which forgiveness 
and renewal may be bestowed upon them, saving them from 
their sins. In this is found both their necessity and their 
use. *' The consummation and glorification of the work of 



OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. ^;^;^ 

Jesus Christ on earth is followed, in the power of the Holy 
Spirit, by the diffusion of its blessings among the nations, 
the appropriation of his sacrifice, the dispensing of his 
merits, the communication of his righteousness and grace 
by the means of grace prescribed by him in the fellowship 
of his Church ; for, as it is written : Thus it behooved Christ 
to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that 
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his 
name among all nations (Luke xxiv. 46, 47)." * 

3. Each one of these, viz., the Word of God, Baptism 
and the Lord's Supper, is a real means of grace. By virtue 
of their divine appointment, and especially by the abiding 
presence of the Holy Spirit, who in special sense is the divine 
agent in applying redemption, they are endowed with a real 
efficacy or sufficiency of divine energy or momentum for sal- 
vation, if not resisted. These means are not empty or with- 
out force and intrinsic adaptation to their end, but divinely 
appointed bearers of God's provided grace of salvation 
wherever they find receptive and willing hearts. In and 
through them, on the basis of the full redeeming provision in 
Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost, God comes to men, 
making known, presenting and dispensing the fullness of 
saving grace. And each one is constituted thus a means in its 
own place and way. They are such because they are always 
and forever the constituted media in and through whose ad- 
ministration and use, in constant presence and love, the Holy 
Spirit operates in calling, working of faith and quickening. 
Thus, for example, the Gospel is charged with supernatural 
power, not simply because it sets forth the Christ in the full- 
ness of his redemption, but because the Holy Spirit is ever 
in its message as truly as heat is in the fire or sunbeam. He 
has incorporated his own power in it. For the word of the 
Gospel is in fact and truth, whenever administered, the Holy 
Spirit's own voice or message, vmiting the power of the 
truth, as such, with his own power in one energy and opera- 

* Sartorius, Doc. Divine Love, Sec. 3, Ch. ii. 



334 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

tion. It is thus that the Word is said to be a living and 
active Word (i Pet. i. 23; Heb. iv. 12). 

The same is to be understood as true of the relation of 
the Holy Spirit to the sacraments. In the economy of the 
Comforter (napd/v-///-oc, Helper), he is the agent using and 
working in and through all the means for men's salvation. 
"As Christ fulfilled the will and work of the Father upon 
earth, so does the Holy Spirit administer the will and work 
of Christ in the human soul." * He is in all by and in the 
Word, which forms a constituent of the sacraments. And 
thus these sacraments as truly as the Word are not mere 
signs or symbols of grace, but are truly exhibitive and ad- 
ministrative means for bestowing the grace promised in con- 
nection with them. 

4. It is to be borne in mind, further, that the Word and 
the sacraments exhibit and bestow the same grace. W^hile 
each is a means of special grace, in mode and degree, it is 
in no exclusive sense or as meaning non-communication of 
the same grace by the other means. And the common grace 
thus set forth and bestowed, in its aggregate, must be re- 
garded as all that effects and gives full personal, spiritual 
salvation according to the great design of redemption, viz., 
justification and adoption, regeneration and sanctification. 
The accomplishment of all this in men's personal experience 
and character involves a progressive movement through the 
various stages of calling, illumination, repentance, faith, re- 
newal and advancing holiness of heart and life, till made 
meet for the eternal inheritance. 

This divine appointment of the different means for the be- 
stOAval of the same grace is the standard teaching of the 
Lutheran Church. The Apology to the Augsburg Confes- 
sion says : '' Just as the Word enters the ears in order to 
strike hearts, so the rite itself meets the eyes to move hearts. 
The effect of the Word and of the rite is the same, as it has 
been well said by Augustine that the sacrament is a ' visible 
* Luthardt, Saving Truths, Lect. VI. 



OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. 335 

Word,' because the rite is received by the eyes, and is, as it 
were, a picture of the Word signifying the same thing as 
the Word. Wherefore the effect of both is the same." * 

Chemnitz, one of the greatest of the Lutheran theologians, 
gives emphasis to this truth when he says : " The Apology 
to the Confession correctly declares that the effect, the virtue 
or efficacy of the Word, and of the sacraments which are the 
seals of promise, is the same. . . . As, therefore, the Gospel 
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believ- 
eth, not because there is any magical force in the letters, syl- 
lables or sound of the words, but because it is the means, 
organ or instrument by which the Holy Spirit is efficacious, 
proposing, offering, presenting, distributing and applying 
the merit of Christ and the grace of God to the salvation of 
every one that believeth ; so also is the power and efficacy at- 
tributed to the sacraments, not because saving grace is to be 
sought in the sacraments above and beyond the merit of 
Christ, the mercy of the Father, and the efficacy of the Holy 
Ghost, but that the sacraments are instrumental causes in 
this way, that through these means or organs the Father de- 
sires to be present, bestow and apply his grace, the Son to 
communicate his merit to believers, and the Holy Ghost to 
exercise his efficacy for the salvation of every one that be- 
lieveth." 

To the question why God employs a two-fold means to 
communicate the same blessings, Chemnitz answers : '' God 
who is rich in mercy desires to present his grace to us not 
only in one way, that is, by the mere Word, but he desires 
also to help our infirmity by certain aids, namely, by the sac- 
raments, instituted and annexed to the promise of the Gos- 
pel. ... In this way the sacraments are, in respect to us, 
signs confirming our faith in the promise of the Gospel; in 
respect to God, they are organs or instruments through 
wdiicli God in the Word presents, applies, seals, confirms 
and increases and preserves the grace of the Gospel promise 

* Chap vii., 5. 



S^6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

in believers. The grace exhibited in the Word is not dif- 
ferent from that exhibited in the sacraments; the promise 
in the Gospel is not different from that in the sacraments; 
but the grace is the same, and the Word one and the same, 
except that in the sacraments the Word is rendered visible, 
as it were, on account of our infirmity, by signs divinely ap- 
pointed." 

The great distinguishing peculiarity of the sacraments is 
thus their unique individualizatiofi of their subjects. In 
them God comes to the individual person and offers and 
seals to him the blessings promised in sacramental Word or 
Word made visible. They carry the assurance of the remis- 
sion of sins, and the -grace of spiritual renovation to the 
longing, it may be trembling, faith of each believer sepa- 
rately and personally, God saying to him: ''I have loved 
thee, and redeemed thee to be mine." To the question of 
the soul seeing the provided salvation through the general 
offer of the Word, " Is this provision for me individually ? " 
the sacraments are a specific and immediate divine reply. As 
means in the hands of the Holy Ghost for awakening and 
invigorating faith, the sacraments are thus of great and 
divine value. -Though they present and administer the same 
grace as does the Word, they do so with this feature of em- 
phasizing it to the individual soul, under covenant pledge 
and seal. In this Chemnitz well finds, in view of the great 
infirmity of our faith, one reason for the necessity of the 
sacraments. * 

5. The doctrine of the means of grace, moreover, basing 
its affirmations on the Holy Scriptures, teaches that the 
Word is the primary and comprehensive means, and that the 
pozver and efficacy of the sacraments are through the Word. 
By universal consent among us, it is constitutive for the sac- 
raments. The divine reality is expressed in Augustine's 
statement : " The Word is added to the element, and a sacra- 
ment is formed." The Word is thus the effective cause 
*Ex. C. Trid., IL, 30. 



OTHKR MEANS OF GRACE. 2)2>7 

for the sacramental character of both Baptism and the 
Lord's Supper. Apart from the divine words of institution, 
and their use, water is mere water and no baptism, and bread 
and wine are but bread and wine, and no eucharist. They 
are created by the Word. And through its promises they 
convey the grace of forgiveness and Hfe. Luther explains 
the objection of the Anabaptists to the idea of forgiveness 
of sins through baptism by reminding that they were separ- 
ating forgiveness from the Word in the sacrament — affirm- 
ing against their fanaticism that forgiveness can be found 
only in the Word, and that because the Word is in Baptism 
and in the Holy Supper, these offer and administer forgive- 
ness.* Luthardt says of the Word : '* It brings with it those 
accompaniments which God has ordained to assist its opera- 
tion, and to help the weakness of our faith, viz., the sacra- 
ments." t Sartorius declares : " It is in virtue of the divine 
Word a sacred washing which sanctifies and purifies the 
baptized to a new and spiritual life in the Church of the 
Lord." i 

6. It is necessary to bring out distinctly, yet, the truth, 
already implied and incidentally expressed, that neither the 
Word nor the sacraments confer grace apart from faith, or 
ex opere operato. This is a direct corollary from the funda- 
mental doctrine of justification by faith as the ruling mate- 
rial principle in the order of salvation. '* We condemn," 
says the Apology to the Confession, " the whole crowd of 
scholastic doctors who teach that the sacraments confer 
grace ex opere operato:' § The Lutheran Church, as was 
absolutely necessary in order to complete the Reformation 
and maintain in purity the truth of justification by faith, 
repudiated with emphasis this corrupt and corrupting teach- 
ing of Rome, and maintained that while the validity of the 
sacraments is altogether independent of faith, the reception 

* House Postil, on Gospel for XIX. Sunday after Trinity. 
t Saving Truths, Lect. IX. 
t Doctrine of Holy Love, Sec. 3, Chap. iii. 
§ Chap, vii., 18. See also Smalkald Art. III., Part I., 9. 
22 



S3^ CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

of their spiritual benefits is dependent on it, and that thus 
non sacramentum, sed fides sacramenfi justificat. And the 
faith thus required, through which alone they produce their 
spiritual fruits, is affirmed to be, not mere intellectual belief 
or non-resistance (obicem non opponere of the Roman 
Catholics), but a real evangeHcal faith,* as obedient trust, 
and this faith, moreover, '' special faith which believes the 
present promise." 

This need of faith as the condition and order of true re- 
ception of the saving grace offered and sealed in the sacra- 
ments, is made evident and explained by the two divine 
truths already brought to view — that the Word and the sac- 
raments offer and communicate the same grace, and that the 
sacraments have their power under the Holy Spirit in and 
through the Word, and accomplish their work through it. 
That the Word itself, so mighty as the Holy Spirit's means, 
does not confer the grace of salvation ex opere operato, or 
without faith, is unquestionable and everywhere conceded. 
Not mixed with faith in them that hear it, it does not profit 
in the sense of saving effect, Heb. iv. 2. Its administration 
even in the form called absolution, has not an opus operatum 
efficacy. And since the power in the sacraments, as media 
of the saving dispensations of Him who is the *' Spirit of 
truth," is the power of the word of promise they exhibit, 
they act under the same law of faith : '' Whosoever believeth 
shall be saved." And thus, while as visible words, and as 
singling men in a divine approach to each one in particular 
with an assurance set in God's own seal, they are surpass- 
ingly impressive and helpful for the faith they call for and 
seek to confirm, the Lutheran Church, in full accord with 
the teaching of the Scriptures, repudiates the notion that 
they work ex opere operato, or bestow the grace of salva- 
tion except to and through faith. 

7. All this makes plain the deep foundation of Scripture 
teaching and theological truth upon which the Lutheran 
*Aiigs. Conf., Art. V., Smalkald Arts., Part III., Art. XIII., i. 



OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. 339 

Church has always given the first and chief place to '' the 
Word,'' as read and preached in worship. It is demanded 
by the necessary impHcations of the ruling principle of jus- 
tification by faith, and by the need of thoroughly repudiating 
and overthrowing Rome's falsification and perversion of the 
sacraments under unscriptural claims for a priestly hierarchy 
and magically efficient ordinances. 

The Scriptures lay the chief stress on the Word (Isa. Iv. 
1 1 ; Luke viii. 5-18; i Cor. i. 17), attributing to it under the 
Holy Spirit each and every part in the movement through 
which the provisions of redemption become effectual in the 
salvation of men, from its beginning in illumination ( i Pet. 
i. 19; 2 Tim. iii. 15; i John v. 11), through repentance 
(Acts ii. 2i7^^ faith (Rom, x. 17), r'egeneration (i Pet. i. 23; 
James i. 18), sanctification (John xvii. 17) and salvation 
(Rom. i. 16; 2 Tim. iii. 15; Acts x. 34-37). It is immedi- 
ately evident that in the Church's worship, where redemp- 
tion is to be caused to pass into the personal experience of 
men, the Word, as the means which is at once the Holy 
Spirit's instrument in accomplishing each and all the parts 
of the work and the means in all means, should have primacy 
and ruling place. 

The Reformation movement in which the preaching of the 
Gospel, as well as the reading of the Word, was restored to 
the chief place in Protestant worship, and especially in the 
Lutheran Church, presents a clear and self-consistent his- 
tory. 

Luther's tract : " Of the Order of the Divine Service in 
the Congregation," found in a preceding chapter, was 
written in 1523, with a direct view to a restoration of the 
preaching of the Gospel to its true position in the service. 

In the German Mass prepared by him in 1525, he still 
more emphatically asserts the place of preaching : *' In the 
divine service, the greatest and most important part is the 
preaching and teaching of God's Word." 

In his commentary on Dan. viii., in stating the marks of 



34° CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the Church, as the Gospel, Baptism and the Bread (Euchar- 
ist), he writes: " The Gospel is the one surest, noblest sign 
of the Church, far surer than Baptism and the Bread; be- 
cause alone through the Gospel are these conceived, made, 
nourished, born, brought up, clothed, adorned, strengthened 
and maintained. In short, the whole life and character of 
the Church depends upon the Word of God, as Christ says 
in Matt. iv. 4 : ' Man shall live by every word that proceed- 
eth out of the mouth of God.' " 

In another place (Works, Erlangen, Vol. XXIL, p. 151) 
he writes : '' Upon any one on whom the office of preaching 
is laid, is laid the highest office in Christendom. He may 
thus also baptize, administer the Lord's Supper and all pas- 
toral care; or if otherwise he wishes, he may abide in preach- 
ing alone, and leave to others baptism and other offices, as 
did St. Paul and the Apostles." 

The Lutheran Church soon became the Church of revived 
and grand preaching of the Gospel, restoring the Word to its 
divine appointment as the power of God unto salvation. The 
principle thus involved as the determinative principle of wor- 
ship, entered into the orders of service provided for the con- 
gregations everywhere. 

Luthardt says : *' The chief means of grace in the Church 
is the preached Word, which through its testimony in regard 
to sin (the law) and grace (the Gospel), is fitted to work 
penitent obedience of faith, and to serve the Holy Spirit to 
this end, in proportion as it is a true expression of the sal- 
vation that is in Christ, i. e., is scriptural. 

** In the Scriptures the Word has fundamental signifi- 
cance. Already in the Old Testament all progress in the 
history of salvation rests on the Word and faith. Also in 
the New Testament the Word is from the very beginning the 
form of revelation (Heb. ii. 3) ; and the historical facts of 
salvation then clothe themselves in the Word of Apostolic 
preaching, as the necessary means of faith (see the case of 
Cornelius, Acts x. 3 seq.), Rom. x. 14, 17 ij TriaTti; i^ hKoi-q. 



OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. 341 

Therefore Jesus points out this as the calHng of the Apos- 
tles (fiapTvpeiv, Kvpvaaeiv), and promises them the Holy Spirit. 
Preaching is the first activity of the newly-founded Church, 
Acts ii. It is more important than baptizing, i Cor. i. 17." * 

As to the teaching of the Church on this subject, Luthardt 
continues: ''Although preaching was rhetorically developed 
in the Greek Church, and in the Church of the Middle Ages 
was used with great success by a few celebrated preachers, 
in the Roman Church after Trent it was brought into greater 
prominence in the cultus; yet here it fell decidedly into the 
background as compared with the sacraments. On the con- 
trary, the Reformation placed the Word, both of Scripture 
and of preaching in the Church, in the foreground. Luther 
exalts it above everything as ' an almighty power, so power- 
ful a thing that it can do and perform everything ; ' ' it ac- 
complishes all things;' 'it brings forgiveness of sins,' etc., 
' it brings Christ with it — therefore, whoever embraces and 
holds it embraces and holds Christ, and thus through the 
Word has eternal deliverance from death.' ' The Holy 
Spirit, himself, uses it.' ' We speak of the external Word 
preached orally by men.' " t 

" When the evangelist sought the most comprehensive, 
the fullest expression for Jesus Christ, he called him simply 
'The Word,' John i. i. That is to say, he is the absolute 
revelation. In him God has laid up and expressed to us his 
whole heart, his whole will toward us. He who is the sub- 
stance of the Old Testament and the soul, of the New, is 
simply the Word, the absolute revelation of God. The form, 
however, of his revelation and the means of his agency, was 
again the Word, into which he inwrought his very being. 
. . . Preaching was the chief occupation of Christ dur- 
ing his earthly life, and he appointed preaching to be the 
chief duty of his disciples after his ascension. Preaching 
Avas the office of the great prophets of the Old Testament ; 

* Kompendium der Dogmatik. 
t Pp. 2>22, 323. 



342 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

preaching was the business of Christ's Apostles; the relig- 
ions of the ancient world and their opposition to Christianity 
were overcome by the power of preaching; and the history 
of the Church has told us of many who wielded this sword 
of the Spirit with wide-reaching effect. Preaching is a 
heart-stirring, a world-stirring power. Luther's preaching 
introduced and long gave tone to a new era, while at the 
same time it kindled a new light and life in the souls of indi- 
viduals, and poured into the minds of the desponding the 
consolations of divine grace. Hence, our Church has, above 
all others, designated and treated preaching as the chief 
matter in public worship." * 

Equally clear is the teaching of Sartorius : " The first, 
and most important of the means of grace, is the Word of 
God, in the two-fold form of law and Gospel, or the doctrine 
of faith and morals. The Word, or, which is the same thing, 
the revelation of God, in its original, most pure and most 
holy form, is the Scripture itself. . . . The word of God, 
however; is not to be found merely in the inspired Scrip- 
tures ; it is also at hand in the Christian Church, and in vari- 
ous forms of derivation from its source. As such we have 
above all, the oral preaching of the Word in worshiping as- 
semblies, the catechisation of the youth, spiritual conversa- 
tion and books of Christian instruction and devotion of vari- 
ous kinds." t 

8. As a necessary conclusion from this unquestionably 
chief place assigned to the preaching of the Gospel and the 
reading of the Scriptures, the Word in its administration 
and use rightly rules the whole service and subordinates 
every other part. In spoken or visible form it is the core of 
all, and sums up as it creates and pervades all. It is not an 
inferior or subsidiary part, falling below the highest ascent 
of divine worship. In its prime or oral form it stands, by the 
order of divine constitution, as cause to effect in the pro- 

* Luthardt's Saving Truths, pp. 266, 268. 
t Person and Work of Christ, Chap. ix. 



OTHER MEANS OF GRACE. 343 

duction and constitution of the sacraments. All parts, there- 
fore, even the sacraments, are, when rightly ordered, ar- 
ranged about the Word in this specific and distinct sense. 
Though the sacraments by their visible form and individual 
appropriation are, as means, divinely precious and impres- 
sive for faith, they yet set forth and administer only the 
same grace that under the Holy Spirit is set forth and ad- 
ministered through the proclamation of the Gospel. A sum- 
mit in them, as asserted by Lohe and some others, higher 
than that of the Word, is not perceptible in the light of the 
Scriptures or the pure Lutheran theology. The Word there- 
fore is to determine and rule the whole service and the archi- 
tecture of the Church. 

9. Quite decisive, moreover, are all the facts, thus made 
plain, against the propriety of the term '' sacramental," as 
the comprehensive designation of all the objective means of 
grace — a terminology introduced by Kliefoth and followed 
by some others. It violates the truth by drawing the com- 
mon designation from that which is not the centre and core 
of the means of grace, and shadows the Word of God out of 
view or recognition, subordinating it to the sacraments. It 
is untrue to the Protestant conception of the means of grace, 
and is allied rather to the Roman Catholic conceptions of 
sacramental efficacy and priestly administration of saving 
grace. Its use carries an element of danger to the pure truth 
of justification by faith. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE MINISTRY IN RELATION TO WORSHIP. 

Different conceptions of the powers and functions of 
the pastor in pubhc Avorship arise necessarily out of the dif- 
ferences of fundamental view in regard to the Church and 
the ministry. Diverse practice is a reflex of diverse theories. 
The minister's part and rights in the service will be changed 
as the underlying idea of the Church itself, and of the whole 
ministerial office is changed. And he who is familiar with 
the special tendencies in the doctrines as differently held on 
the great points of ecclesiastical polity is easily able, when- 
ever practice is observed, to read the doctrines in the form 
and type and spirit of the sanctuary service. The fountain 
is recognized in the stream. The liturgy stands as an index 
of the particular ideas marking the different ecclesiastical 
conceptions and systems. 

The great Reformation of the sixteenth century that, by 
the restoration of the pure Gospel of justification by faith, 
revolutionized Rome's false teaching concerning the Church 
and priesthood, compelled also a reconstruction of the cul- 
tus, and put the minister in different relations to the sanc- 
tuary service. It defined anew his functions and activities. 
The aim of this chapter, therefore, obliges us to recall in 
some measure the leading features of the several different 
views maintained concerning the Church and the ministry. 

I. The Roman Catholic view looks upon the Church as 
a grand visible organization, consisting essentially in a 
priestly hierarchy, whose ranks culminate in the pope of 
Rome as the infallible vicar of Christ, with complete powers 
of government and administration of grace to men. It al- 
lows no distinction between the Church as visible and invis- 

(344) 



MINISTRY IN REI.ATION TO WORSHIP. 345 

ible, but looks upon the visible organization as marking out 
the boundary between the saved and the lost. The external 
organism through ex opere operato sacraments, effectuates 
for its members a saving communion with Christ, while out- 
side of its pale there is no union with him, and no saving 
work of the Holy Spirit. Bellarmin says : '' There is only 
one Church, not two, and that one and true Church is a com- 
pany of men bound together by the profession of the same 
faith, and by communion of the same sacraments, and under 
the government of legitimate pastors, and especially of the 
Roman pontiff", Christ's only vicar on earth. From which 
definition it can easily be inferred who belong to the Church 
and who do not belong to it. For there are three parts of 
this definition — profession of the true faith, communion of 
sacraments, and subjection to the legitimate pastor, the 
Roman pontiff. By reason of the first part, all unbelievers 
are excluded, both those who never were in the Church, as 
Jews, Turks and pagans, and those who have been, but have 
departed, as heretics and apostates. By reason of the sec- 
ond part, catechumens and the excommunicated are ex- 
cluded, since the former have not been admitted to the com- 
munion of the sacraments, and the latter have been dis- 
missed therefrom. By reason of the third part, schismatics 
are excluded, who have faith and sacraments, but are not in 
subjection to the legitimate pastor, and therefore profess 
faith and receive sacraments without. But included are all 
others, though they are reprobate, criminal and impious. 
And there is this difference between our opinion and all 
others, that all others require interior virtues for constitut- 
ing any one within the Church, and moreover make the true 
Church invisible ; but even if we believe that all virtues are 
found in the Church, faith, hope, charity and the rest, 
ncA^ertheless we do not think that in order that any one may 
be called absolutely a part* of the true Church, concerning 
which the Scriptures speak, any interior virtue is required, 
but only an external profession of faith and a communion 



34^ CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

of the sacraments, which is perceived by the sense itself. 
For the Church is a company of men, just as visible and pal- 
pable as is the company of the Roman people or the king- 
dom of France, or the Republic of the Venetians." * 

With this agrees the explanation given by the Rev. Mgr. 
Schroeder, Professor of Dogmatic Theology in the Catholic 
University of America : '' The Church is a society, a perfect 
society, a visible society. Its unity is unity in the faith, and 
also a social unity. The pope is both the centre and princi- 
ple of unity. He is the principle of unity in the faith; all 
Catholics owe the obedience of faith to all his doctrinal de- 
cisions. But he is at the same time the pastor and supreme 
ruler of the Church; he has full and entire jurisdiction over 
all its members, and all owe a true obedience to his orders 
and his directions. . . . The pope is equally the high priest 
of the Church ; it is to him that belongs the supreme power 
of regulating all that relates to worship. It is thus that he 
announces the jubilee, that he accords indulgences as privi- 
leges, that he prescribes common practices of piety, certain 
prayers, etc. . . . The pope and the Episcopate united to 
him, whether they be assembled in a Council or not, are the 
subjects of the infallibility of the Church ; they form the Ec- 
clesia Docens." f Another Roman Catholic writer adds: 
" Every Catholic who wishes to save his soul must sit at the 
feet of Christ in his mystical body, the Church, accepting 
his teaching with childlike docility, and receiving the 
streams of divine grace which flow from his cradle and 
cross through prayer and the sacraments." { 

This view of the Church, carrying along with it a corre- 
sponding doctrine of the ministry, involves at least four dis- 
tinct co-ordinate conceptions, viz : i . The Church consists 
essentially, not of the body of believers, but of the organism 
of the hierarchy to which the congregations stand attached. 
2. This hierarchy forms, a self -perpetuating, priestly order 

* De Concil. et Eccl. Militante, Lib. III., Cap. 3. 

t New York Independent, March 10, 1892. 

t Mervin Marie Snell of the same University, in same paper. 



MINISTRY IN RELATION TO WORSHIP. 347 

or caste, independent of the body of believers, and holding 
in and of itself full and perpetual and exclusive authority 
of rulership, administration and judgment.* 3. This 
priestly class, with a system of prelacy culminating in the 
pope, as a sacerdotiiim and inagisteriuin, are the custodians 
of all saving grace, and fulfill their functions in a mediating 
capacity through channels of sacraments of which they hold 
exclusive possession, t 4. As the clergy thus rule and ad- 
minister in an exclusive priesthood, disallowing the univer- 
sal priesthood of believers, or their immediate access to God 
for offering the Christian sacrifices of praise and worship, 
the people are reduced to the condition of merely passive 
subjects of priestly care and administration. 5. The litur- 
gical order and construction of the various parts of wor- 
ship, necessarily taking shape under these doctrines of 
Church and priesthood, present a complete annulment of 
the freedom of the congregations, as well as a rupture of 
their right of direct approach to God in sacrifices of prayer 
and praise through Jesus Christ, the alone Mediator be- 
tween God and men. They are permitted to worship simply 
as spectators, or as submissive subjects of forms prescribed 
and conducted for them by an autocratic hierarchy — a wor- 
ship that keeps them in obedient fellowship directly with 
the Church and its priesthood, and thus only mediately, if 
at all. with the Redeemer, whose divine mediatorship is ob- 
scured, if not wholly displaced. 

It is transparently plain that the priest's relation to public 
worship, and his place and part in it, are in this teaching 
quite different from those assigned the minister by Protes- 
tant theology. Equally apparent is it that the Roman hier- 
archical, priestly, spectacular worship is not reflected in the 
simple, free, spiritual worship mentioned in the Scriptures 
of the New Testament. 

2. Protestantism in its recovery of the pure Gospel and 

*Council of Trent. Sess. XXIII., Chap. iii. 
t Ibid. 



348 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

the way of salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, 
through whom we have immediate access unto the Father, 
and in its overthrow of the hierarchical and priestly con- 
ception of the Church and ministry, places the Christian 
pastor before his congregation in quite other spirit, and with 
dift'erent conception of his authority and duties. 

The Lutheran doctrine of the Church, and of the min- 
istry, with which the Reformed churches are in essential 
agreement as over against Rome, lays the foundation of its 
whole view in declaring : " The Church is the congregation 
of saints (assembly of all believers), in which the Gospel is 
rightly preached, and the sacraments are rightly adminis- 
tered." * 

This affirmation conceives of it in its visible form, as 
marked by the administration of the objective means of 
grace, and it at once and completely repudiates the concep- 
tion of a hierarchical Church, dispensing grace to men, and 
makes the Church consist of the collective body of believers 
themselves, as organized in the use and fellowship of the 
means of grace. *' The Church is established, brought 
together, nourished and preserved by the Word of God and 
the use of sacraments."! The ministers are themselves part 
of this congregation — as conditional for being placed in 
office in it, and when in office. The fundamental relation- 
ship in which the whole body of believers composing '' the 
Church," stand to each other, is that fixed by the Saviour's 
own words: ''All ye are brethren." No mastership of a 
class or caste is to be asserted — none to be allowed. The 
eminences are attained in service only. The Church is not 
to be thought of as an organism of mastership and dispen- 
sation set over believers, but is the body of believers, of 
which Christ himself and alone is the Head, the Master and 
the Fountain of grace. 

The Church, however, is necessarily viewed, and really 

*Augs. Conf., Art. VII. 

t Gerhard, Loci, Cotta's Ed., Vol. XII., p. 195. 



MINISTRY IN REI.ATION TO WORSHIP. 349 

exists, under a twofold aspect — as visible and invisible, as 
already mentioned. For in the visible body, organized in 
the ministry of the Word and the use of the sacraments ac- 
cording to Scripture teaching, whether in local congrega- 
tions or the universal Church, there are always found some 
that are not really and spiritually of it. Unbelieving and 
wicked men are in it. The net has taken some bad fish. 
The tares have been sown by the enemy among the wheat. 
Simon Magus is there, though with no part or lot in the 
salvation which the Church stands for. Hence Luther at 
once, in explaining how the Church can be believed as 
" holy " calls attention to the deeper sense and application 
of the term, as denoting the invisible reality beyond the out- 
ward organization, the reality of spiritual union with Christ 
in which the Church of faitJi is more exactly realized : " We 
rightly confess in the article of our belief that we believe 
a holy Church; for it is invisible, dwelling in spirit in a 
place none can attain unto, and therefore her holiness can- 
not be seen ; for God doth so hide and cover her with in- 
firmities, with sins, with errors, with divers forms of the 
cross and offenses, that according to the judgment of reason 
it is nowhere to be seen. They that are ignorant of this, 
when they see the infirmities and sins of those who are bap- 
tized, who have the words and believe it, by and by are of- 
fended. . " . . But tints we teach that the Church hath 
no spot nor wrinkle, but is holy, and yet only through faith 
in Jesus Christ."* And Melanchthon declares: *' The 
Church is not only the fellowship of outward objects and 
rites, as other governments, but is principally a fellowship 
of faith and the Holy Ghost in hearts. . . . And this 
Church alone is called the body of Christ; because Christ 
renews, sanctifies and governs it by his Spirit. . . . Al- 
though, therefore, hypocrites and wicked men are members 
of the true Church according to outward rites, yet when the 
Church is defined, it is necessary to define that which is the 
* On Gal. V. 19. 



350 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

living body of Christ, and is likewise the Church both in 
name and reality." * As Melanchthon here explains, the 
eighth article of the Confession had already assumed the 
distinction between the wider and stricter conceptions of the 
Church. 

The distinction between the Church as visible and the 
Church as invisible has been thoroughly incorporated into 
Lutheran theology, in order to conform its view to the 
teaching of the Scriptures and the facts of experience in 
Christendom. Neander well points out that it was not de- 
rived from the Reformed Church,t but is native and vital in 
the Lutheran teaching. For while the Church must of ne- 
cessity present Christianit}^ as organic in a visible fellowship 
of believers in the Word and sacraments, and with proper 
government and provisions for good order, both the Scrip- 
tures and experience show that many connected with it are 
without real faith or the truly regenerate life, and not, 
therefore, part of that body savingly joined to Jesus Christ, 
and that will be presented without spot or blemish. This 
results necessarily from the fact that the means of grace do 
not operate as an opus operatum, and make effectual in men 
the grace of salvation irresistibly or apart from a real, ap- 
propriating, vital, regulative faith. And all Protestant 
theology, basing itself upon the infallible warrant of the 
Word of God, has felt itself necessitated to make and main- 
tain this distinction with clearness and firm emphasis, in 
order both to assert and vindicate in its purity and integrity 
the fundamental doctrine of justification by faith alone, and 
also to guard against the sloth-producing and immoral in- 
fluence of the Roman dogm.a of the ex opere operate effi- 
cacy of the sacraments, and the identifying of external 
membership in the visible Church with saving spiritual 
union with Christ. 

Though the Reformed Church has accepted essentially 

* Apol. Conf., IV., 5, 12. 

t Hist, of Dogmas, p. 687. (Bohn's Ed.) 



MINISTRY IN REI.ATION TO WORSHIP. 35 1 

the same definition of the Church, there has been in it a 
tendency to a somewhat different development. This is 
toward a relatively greater stress upon the invisible Church, 
and a diminished valuation of the visible organization and 
its given means of grace. The wild extremes of the Ana- 
baptists in the Reformation era, in their separation of the 
Holy Spirit's work from the Church and the Word, brought 
Luther and his immediate associates face to face with the 
danger of a false spiritualism and disintegration of the out- 
ward organism of the Church. The strong emphasis with 
which they opposed that fanaticism became a permanent 
emphasis upon the importance of the visible Church and the 
objective means of grace. ''At an earlier period," says 
Neander, *' the opposition against the externalism of the 
idea in the Catholic Church was the principal point kept in 
view ; now the importance of the visible Church claimed to 
be acknowledged." * Though the Reformed Church has 
been in fundamental accord with the Lutheran teaching as 
to the divine institution of the visible Church, it has guarded 
less securely against an undervaluation of the external or- 
ganism in its relation to spiritual work and spiritual life. 
The Holy Spirit's operations and saving action have been 
less closely connected with the Church's ministry of the 
means of grace. The relation of the visible Church as the 
proper and divinely appointed means for the gathering, edi- 
fication and sanctification of the spiritual or mystical body 
of Christ, the invisible Church, is allowed to be more loosely 
viewed, the real spiritual life being but indifferently con- 
nected with the external organization. The guards are 
placed less strongly against independency and individualism. 
The way is opened, not, indeed, to an excessive, but to a one- 
sided spiritualism and spurious subjectivism. The Church is 
more easily exposed to the danger from divisive and disin- 
tegrating influences, inconsistent with its best unity, integ- 
rity and efficiency. It is not difficult to see that, so far as 
* Hist, of Dogmas, p. 687. 



352 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

there is such relaxation of emphasis upon the importance of 
the Church and its given means of grace, it may change 
the conception and place of the minister in public worship. 
3. The Lutheran doctrine of the ministry, as well as of 
the Church, becomes determinative of the pastor's .relations 
to and in worship. This doctrine views the ministry as a 
divinely * instituted office within the Church, and belonging 
to the Church. The great object of the office is that men 
may be brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanc- 
tified by the Holy Spirit through the means of grace. f It 
is a ministry of preaching or public teaching, with included 
administration of the sacraments and of discipline. As man 
is to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth 
of God, its great and distinguishing work, as has already 
been pointed out, is, by preaching the Gospel, both to " feed 
the Church of God " and to evangelize the world. And it 
needs to be particularly borne in mind, that the ministry is 
no independently self -perpetuating caste or order of men, 
appointed over the Church or congregation for either 
mediatorial dispensation of grace or autocratic government. 
While it may not be properly said to arise out of the Church, 
it is yet an office divinely appointed in the Church, for the 
administration of the means of grace also committed to the 
Church. '' The power of the Keys, or the power of Bish- 
ops," says the Augsburg Confession, '' is accomphshed only 
by teaching or preaching the Gospel and administering the 
sacraments, either to many or to single individuals, accord- 
ing to their call." % But this is by no means a peculiar and 
exclusive right of the clergy as a class or order; for, as 
the Smalkald Articles teach : " It is necessary to confess that 
the Keys pertain not to the person of a particular man, but 
to the Church, as many most clear and firm arguments tes- 
tify. For Christ, speaking concerning the Keys (Matt. 

* Matt, xxviii. 19, 20; i Cor. xii. 28; 2 Cor. v. 18; Eph. v. 11 ; Acts xiv. 
23; I Tim. iii. 1-7; 2 Tim. ii. 2; Titus i. 5. 
tAugs. Conf., Art. V. 
± Art. XXIII., 5, 8. 



MINISTRY IN REI.ATION TO WORSHIP. 353 

xviii. 19), adds : ' If two of you shall agree, etc' Therefore 
he ascribes the Keys to the whole Church, principally and 
immediately ; just as also for this reason the Church has 
principally the right of calling." * " For wherever the 
Church is, there also is the authority to administer the Gos- 
pel. Wherefore it is necessary for the Church to retain the 
authority to call, elect and ordain ministers. And this au- 
thority is a gift exclusively given to the Church, which no 
human power can wrest from the Church, as Paul also tes- 
tifies to the Ephesians (iv. 8), when he says: * He ascended, 
He gave gifts to men.' And he enumerates among the gifts 
especially belonging to the Church, * pastors and teachers/ 
and adds that such are given for the ministry, for the ' edify- 
ing of the body of Christ.' " f This view of the ministry, 
which is substantially the common view of Protestantism, 
though modified in the Anglican or Episcopal Church, not 
only rejects the whole conception that makes it a class 
sacerdotium and a hierarchical magisterium, but asserts that 
as a ministerium it is an office instituted by God zvithin the 
Church as the body of believers, for the administration of 
the Word and sacraments, which also have been committed 
to the Church itself. 

And all this is accurately and beautifully adjusted to the 
great truth of the universal priesthood of believers. The 
typical and prophetic work of the Old Testament sacerdotal 
class being all taken up, accomplished and absorbed in the 
atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross and in mediation 
in the Holy of Holies in heaven, the alone High Priest after 
the order of Melchizedek, there is now no place for an aton- 
ing priesthood on earth; and the only priesthood now left 
in the Church on earth is the common and universal one of 
evermore offering the spiritual sacrifices of praise, prayer, 
self -consecration and love. The name priest (hpevg) does 
not at all emerge among the terms of New Testament 
Church officers. Since Jesus has entered within the veil for 

* Appendix, 22. t Appendix, 67. 

23 



354 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

US, abiding a High Priest forever, the " veil " is rent away, 
and worshipers stand, through Him, in the open and imme- 
diate presence of God, presenting themselves in living self- 
surrender and service ; and to all Christians comes the word : 
" Ye are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to 
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus 
Christ ... Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priest- 
hood." * 

Guericke accurately states this great truth : " Through 
Christ the reconciliation of God with man has been effected, 
once for all men, and thus all which had been prefigured and 
prepared for, by the entire ante-Christian priesthood, was 
now realized in the fullest manner. Hence the idea of the 
common priesthood of all Christians was the necessary ac- 
companiment of the Gospel. All believers became by bap- 
tism and the Holy Ghost a spiritual house and a holy priest- 
hood, and all of them were immediately united with Christ, 
the eternal High Priest and only Head of his Church. 
Hence, in the Christian system, the priestly function is not 
limited, as in other religions, to a single hereditary class, or 
to a close and self-electing corporation.'' f This is in accord 
with the statement of Gerhard : '' This type of the Levitical 
priesthood has already been completed in Christ, the only 
Priest of the New Testament; for offering himself on the 
altar of the Cross, by one offering he hath perfected forever 
them that are sanctified. Therefore in no zvay is the fulfil- 
ment of this type to be sought in the ministers of the New 
Testament."! 

It needs to be distinctly understood that the functions of 
the minister do not stand as a simple delegation, by the peo- 
ple, of their common priestly rights — a transference to one 
of what belongs to all. For, this universal priesthood being 
one of free spiritual approach to God through Christ, is not 
an office at all, but simply a common characteristic or 

* I Pet. ii., 5, 9. 

t Ch. Hist., p. 106. 

$Loci. Vol. XIL; Loc. XXIV., p. 17. (Cotta's Ed.) 



MINISTRY IN RELATION TO WORSHIP. 355 

spiritual privilege of all Christians. The ministry being a 
divinely instituted office of teaching, and, in limited relation 
and measure, of government, must stand as something ad- 
ditional and peculiar. While for part of its assigned func- 
tions in public worship, i. e., voicing the congregation's 
thanksgiving, prayers and praise, it is based upon or ad- 
justed to the common priesthood, it is nevertheless a special 
divine calling for the regular and official preaching of the 
Gospel and the administration of the sacraments, in the 
midst of the Church and for the evangelization of the world. 
But in the creation of this office of the ministry, God has 
given it, along with the means of grace, to the Church, to be 
recognized, maintained, filled and held in proper respect as 
a divine institution. And the proper call to it is mediated 
or given by the Church. This is distinctly in accordance 
with the order or usage of the primitive Church, as is wit- 
nessed to by the direction given in '' The Teaching of the 
Twelve Apostles :" '' Now appoint for yourselves bishops 
and deacons worthy of the Lord, men meek and not avari- 
cious, and upright and proved." * The only priesthood, 
however, which the minister exercises in public worship, is 
the priesthood' which attaches to his person as a believer, 
and it is therefore only leadership in its associated use, not 
priestly character, that is derived from the Church. And 
the congregation by no means delegate or surrender their 
priestly right, or turn it over to him as a proxy, but they use 
their priesthood in conjunction with his use of his as their 
chosen leader. The Church identifies this leadership with 
the office of the Word and sacraments. 

4. The truths thus recalled, taken together, lead directly 
and necessarily to certain conclusions that may stand as dis- 
tinct corollaries to be specially remembered as marking the 
minister's relation to and in public worship. 

(i.) The sanctuary function of the ministry is doubly 
representative. In the administration of the Word and sac- 

* Chap. XV. 



356 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

raments he represents God, appearing before the people as 
his " ambassador," officially speaking and acting in his 
iiame. In the conduct of the worship of faith, praise and 
prayer, he is representative, in the way of called leadership, 
of the believing congregation. In the first part he is acting 
upon his call of God to the office of public teaching or 
preaching of the Gospel, the call according to divine order 
being mediated and expressed through the voice of the 
Church ; in the second relation he acts upon the election of 
the congregation. The Church thus unites the use and en- 
joyment of its own universal priesthood with God's office 
of dispensation of the Gospel and the sacraments. The 
proper and due combination of these two sides of a com- 
plete church service exhibits one important and vital feature 
of the minister's right relation in public worship. 

(2.) The fundamental and most important part of this 
two-fold relation is that of administering the means of 
grace. This not only stands as the directly and divinely as- 
signed function of the ministerial office, but is that part 
through the accomplishment of which the Holy Spirit 
creates the faith, love, praise, prayer and all the other feel- 
ings and acts that together constitute the holy '' spiritual 
sacrifices " of true worship. The first part is conditional 
for the second. Yet if the means of grace are, or have been, 
permitted to be really efficacious, the second part of wor- 
ship must also be present. It is essential to real worship. 
Preaching of the Gospel alone would not constitute a ser- 
vice of worship. It would only present a school of doctrine, 
an act of teaching, an academy of theology. Grand as is the 
office of public teaching or administration of the Word, if 
does not itself and alone form a congregation's worship. 
There is required yet the response of faith, thanksgiving 
and prayer. But as the means of grace are the condition 
and cause, under the Holy Spirit, of this response of the 
believing congregation, forming the whole into the service 
of worship, this side of the minister's activity is rightly 



MINISTRY IN RELATION TO WORSHIP. 357 

and necessarily given the fundamental and central place. 
The worship is gathered about and centred in the use of the 
means of grace. 

(3.) Of the means of grace themselves, the minister must 
give the most prominent and ruling place to the preaching 
of the Word. This is the chief and transcendent service of 
his office, the particular thing that subordinates while unit- 
ing with itself all the other parts of his activity. The Luth- 
eran orders of worship from the first justify the statement 
of Dr. Kurtz's Church History : " The preaching of the 
Word was made the central point of the whole public ser- 
vice." * This truth has, however, been sufficiently pointed 
out and emphasized, with proper indication of the grounds 
for it, in the chapter on the place of the Word in worship. 

(4.) The minister's authority in the conduct of worship 
is limited by and adjusted to the rights of the congregation 
of believers. The ojjice of the ministry, indeed, does un- 
questionably endow him with the full authority and all the 
rights which the Scriptures connect with the full and faith- 
ful administration of the Word, declaring the whole counsel 
of God whether men will hear or forbear, and keeping over- 
sight over the house of God. This authority and these 
rights he is under solemn obligation to miaintain and use, 
for the spiritual safety and edification of the Church and 
the salvation of souls. A high and sacred responsibility is 
involved in this maintenance and exercise of all the au- 
thority divinely given this office. But he is not to use it in 
the spirit of a " lord over God's heritage." '' Be not ye 
called masters." 

The very office of the ministry, symbolized by " the 
Keys," belongs to the Church, which also has obligations 
and responsibilities respecting it — to maintain it for its di- 
vinely appointed sphere. This sphere is not lordship, but 
service — to feed the flock and evangelize the world. To 
the whole body of believers belongs also the only priesthood 
* Church Hist., Sec. 142, par. 2. 



35^ CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

exercised in the services of the Christian sanctuary. The 
relation, therefore, confers upon the minister no arbitrary 
or exclusive power in the conduct of public worship. By 
very name the liturgical service is the '' people's service." 
In it they are enjoying the ministrations of the office given 
the Church, and acting in the holy priesthood belonging to 
every member. And especially in the adiaphora of rites and 
ceremonies, the minister has no right to impose his will upon 
them. 

This principle was recognized by Luther in the very be- 
ginning of his reformation of the old liturgy, in guarding 
the ministers who should use the orders of worship prepared 
by him from assuming to impose them as law, or in the way 
of compulsion. Elsewhere he says : ''A bishop as a bishop 
has no right to impose any tradition or ceremony upon his 
church, except by the consent of the Church, either expressed 
or tacitly given. Because the Church is free and independ- 
ent, and the bishops ought not to lord it over the faith of 
the Church, nor to oppress or burden it without its consent. 
They are ministers and stewards only, not lords of the 
Church. But if the Church consents as one body with the 
bishop, they may impose upon themselves what they will/ 
meanwhile preserving godliness; or omit what they will. If 
the bishops do not seek this right, they wish to rule and 
keep all things under their will alone. This must not be 
allowed, nor are we in any sense to become partakers of this 
iniquity and injury or oppression of the Church and the 
truth." * 

The Wiirtemberg Confession (1553), composed by 
Brentz and the Strasburg theologians, and approved at Wit- 
tenberg, says : '' We confess that it is permitted bishops, 
with the consent of their churches, to institute orders of fes- 
tival days and lectures or sermons for edification and in- 
struction in the true faith of Christ." 

In accordance with these early scriptural rules, Schoeber- 
* Luther's Letters, De Wette, Vol. IV., p. 106. 



MINISTRY IN RELATION TO WORSHIP. 359 

lein, in his Dcr Evangelische Haiipt gottesdienst , well brings 
out the law of the minister's relation to the conduct of th<^ 
worship : " The ordering and selection of the parts of wor- 
ship dare not be left to the arbitrary choice of the minister, 
since worship is a service of the congregation. ... In 
evangelical worship not the minister, but the congregation is 
the proper subject of the act, since it receives grace from 
the Lord and presents to him its offering. The minister oc- 
cupies a mediating position in so far as he presents to the 
congregation in Word and sacrament the gifts of grace 
from the Lord and utters its prayers before him. But the 
evangelical congregation is to prove its priesthood in this, 
that it must not be merely passive, but is to respond to the 
reception of grace with thanks, and accompany and confirm 
its offering with its Amen." * 

Mosheim declares : '' The congregation has the right to 
appoint, to change, to improve ceremonies, that is, the right 
circa adiaphora, the right to determine the place of meeting, 
the holy seasons or festivals of the Church, the right to ap- 
point means without which the divine worship cannot be 
conducted, as to install preachers, to appoint elders, to make 
Church orders." f 

(5.) Not only are the congregations to be exempt from 
the arbitrary imposition of ceremonies, or from any in- 
fringement of their Scripture freedom, by pastors, but from 
such imposition or infringement by either secular or eccle- 
siastical power, through the pastors as instruments. The 
Church in its own sphere is a part of that kingdom which is 
'* not of this world," and under the crown of Christ's 
dominion, and according to his Word, is to maintain its own 
autonomy against claims or attempts to prescribe either its 
doctrines or its cultus. And so far as rites and ceremonies 
or special forms of service are concerned, no synodical or 
other ecclesiastical authority can rightly exercise mandatory 
power. It cannot make any particular liturgical service 

*P. 3- 

t Kirchenrecht, p. 447. 



360 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP. 

obligatory on the congregations. Uniformity of human rites 
or ceremonies not being essential to the true unity of the 
church,* synods can make no lazv to enforce it on the 
churches. However desirable some persons may deem such 
uniformity, the freedom and rights of the congregations 
dare never be over-ridden in efforts to secure it. 

This principle has been from the first made clear and 
vindicated in the Lutheran Church. It is plainly involved 
in the teaching of the Formula Concordice concerning adia- 
phoristic ceremonies and Church rites. f Luther writes: 
'' Neither by ecclesiastical nor civil law, can we allow to 
bishops the right of imposing anything on the Church, even 
though it be lawful and pious, because evil is not to be done 
that good may result. But if they wish to compel it by vio- 
lence we ought not to consent, but rather to die for the pur- 
pose of preserving the will and law of God against impiety 
and sacrilege." J 

This assertion of the rights of the congregations, how- 
ever, is by no means to be taken as approval of an arbitrary 
or unnecessary use of these rights against a fundamental 
and substantial uniformity, as aimed at the provision of 
general orders by the Church. L-regularity, willful gratifi- 
cation of congregational preferences and tastes, a factious 
disregard of appropriate and well-considered forms, is as 
little to be commended as the arbitrary imposition of such 
forms. While uniformity of ceremonies is not essential 
to the unity of the Church nor to salvation, ceremonies 
themselves are by no means a matter of indifference. 

A truly spiritual order of service, centering the priestly 
worship of the congregation rightly about the means of 
grace, is a thing of ever-living importance to the Church 
and all her people. A free and happy fellowship in com- 
mon forms is good and wholesome to piety, at the same 
time widening and expressing the communion of saints. 

*Augs. Conf., Art. VII. 

t Chap. X. 

t Luther's Letters, De Wette, Vol. VI., p. 107. 



MINISTRY IN RELATION TO WORSHIP. 36 1 

Congregations, therefore, standing in fellowship with the 
general Church, owe a respectful and careful regard to the 
provisions which the Church makes for the ordering of 
public worship. While the minister, neither in his own 
right nor as an instrument of either secular or ecclesiastical 
power, dare arbitrarily impose forms of service, the congre- 
gations may and ought to use their freedom in harmony 
with the principles of general fellowship in worship, 
through the use of fundamentally and essentially common 
forms of service. 



INDEX. 



A. 

Abuses in worship, 159, 213. 

All Saints festival instituted, 64. 

Alt, on Roman Catholic worship, 114 ; 
on Formula Missge, 183 ; on Luth- 
eran and Reformed differences, 281, 
284, on Luther, Zwingli, and Cal- 
vin, 296 ; on Pietism, 307, 

Altar, retained by Luther, 214. 

Ancient services, 166 ; corruption of, 
167. 

Andover Review quoted, 322. 

Apostolic Constitutions quoted, 49 ; on 
Church edifice, 50 ; liturgy of, 52 ; 
morning and evening service, 271. 

Art in worship, 27. 

Asceticism, beginning of, 44. 

Augsburg Confession, on human rites, 
15, 222. 

Austrian liturgy, 229. 

B. 

Baden liturgy, 251. 

Basel, Church order of, 282. 

Bellarmin, on the Church, 345. 

Bishops in Apostolic Church, 38. 

Boniface VIII. , bull Unam Sanctam, 
99. 

Brandenburg-Nuremberg litany trans- 
lated, 229. 

Burbidge on Gregorian Sacramentary, 
112. 

Butler, Bishop, quoted, 309. 

c. 

Calvin, on worship, 279 ; sketch of, 
294 ; first order of service, 295 ; 
complete service, 295. 

Cardwell quoted, 300, 301, 



Catechism, Luther on, 189. 

Cathedrals of Middle Ages, 96. 

Chalcedon, decree of Council, 63. 

Chemnitz quoted, 335. 

Church discussed, 31-34; Apostolic, 
35-47 ; invisible, spiritual body, 36, 
348 ; simple organization of Apos- 
tolic, 36 ; Christian life in Apostolic, 
44 ; typical building in 4th century, 
50 ; false position in relation to sal- 
vation, loi ; created by the Word, 
206 ; uniform ceremonies not neces- 
sary, 223 ; Roman Catholic view, 
344 ; Lutheran doctrine, 348 ; Re- 
formed doctrine, 350. 

Church Year discussed, 28, 323. 

Clausen quoted, 251. 

Clement, Epistle of, quoted, 43 ; liturgy 
of, 52-60 ; opposed to formality, 62, 

Collect explained, 258. 

Common Service, history and outline, 
317-321. 

Congregation, formation of, 32; preach- 
ing in, 146 ; Luther's order of wor- 
ship in, 159 ; active in worship, 358, 
359 ; power of, 359. 

Consecration of elements, 268. 

Constantine, bishop in externals, 49 ; 
worship in age of, 48 60. 

Constantinople, patriarch of, 63. 

Courland liturgy quoted, 218, 

Cranmer, 300, 302. 

Creed, The, explained, 261 ; Luther's 
version of, 262. 

Cyprian, on episcopal dignity, 48. 

D. 

Distribution, The, manner of, 268. 
Doctrine in relation to worship, 61. 



(363) 



3^4 



INDEX. 



Dorner, on Protestant unity, 281 ; on 
difference between Lutheran and 
Reformed, 284 ; on German Pusey- 
ism, 313. 

E. 

Eastern Church, worship in, 61-95 > 

Christian life in, 62. 
Ecclesiasticism, tendency toward, 35. 
Edward VI., 300; First Prayer Book 

of, 301 ; Second Prayer Book of, 302. 
Elizabeth, Queen, a Protestant, 302. 
Epictetus quoted, 10. 
Epistle, The, explained, 259. 
Evening worship, 161 ; service, 271- 

275. 
Exhortation, The, explained, 266, 

F. 

Faith, unnecessary in Roman Church, 
117 ; in evangelical worship, 146, 
208 ; what it accomplishes, 277 ; the 
material principle, 328 ; necessary 
for grace, 337. 

Festivals, what abolished and retained, 
162, 164, 200, 211. 

Formula of Concord, on ecclesiastical 
rites, II, 15, 33, 222; Formula 
Missse, 164-184; Koestlin's judg- 
ment of, 183; Alt's, 183; Funk's, 
202. 

Funk, on Formula Missae and German 
Mass, 202; on festivals, 211 ; de- 
velopment of Lutheran liturgies, 225; 
on the place of the sermon, 263. 

G. 

Galilean liturgy, 103. 
Gerhard quoted, 348, 354. 
German Mass, 184-201 ; Funk's judg- 
ment of, 201. 
Gloria Patri, 257. 
Gloria in Excelsis explained, 257. 
God, how mind is led to idea of, 9. 
Gospel, The, explained, 261. 
Gregorian Mass, 113. 
Gregory VII., on Roman power, 98. 
Grob quoted, 292. 
Guericke quoted, 354. 



H. 

Henry VIII., 299. 

Hierarchical tendency in early Church, 
48 ; in age of Constantine, 48, 49. 

Hitchcock, Dr. R. D., quoted, 323. 

Hymn, its character, 26 ; melody of, 
27 ; of Middle Ages, 97 ; in the ver- 
nacular, 180 ; as Zwischengesang, 
260 ; as Predigilied, 264. 



Ignatius, reverence for bishop, 48. 
Image worship introduced, 64. 
Introits, Luther on, 168; explained, 
256. 

J- 

Jacob, on worship in Apostolic Church, 

39- 

Jerome, Latin Vulgate, lOO. 

Justin Martyr, on Christian life of 
primitive Church, 44 ; description of 
worship in primitive Church, 45. 

K. 

Kahnis, on Mediaeval Church, 101-103. 

Kerr quoted, 322. 

Kliefoth quoted, 10 ; his terms sacra- 
7nental and sacrificial, 12, 343 ; 
criticised, 18 ; his estimate of Luth- 
er's order of worship in congrega- 
tion, 163 ; worship not meritorious, 
210 ; liturgies of Southern Germany, 
242 ; quoted, 261 ; on place of the 
Creed, 261 ; tendency of, 313 

Knox, sketch of, 296 ; his liturgy, 297. 

Koestlin on Sacerdotalism of Eastern 
Church, 65 ; on Formula Missae, 
183 ; on true worship, 204 ; two 
kinds of worship, 216 ; on Lutheran 
worship, 220 ; list of liturgies, 224 ; 
subjective and objective elements 
common to Protestantism, 279 ; on 
Reformed Church, 283 ; on Prayer 
Book, 304 ; on dead orthodoxy, 306 ; 
on Pietism, 307 ; on Rationalism, 
308. 

Krauth quoted, 220. 



INDEX. 



365 



Kurtz, on dead orthodoxy, 306 ; on 
Pietism, 308. 

Kyrie, retained by Luther, 168 ; ex- 
plained, 257. 



Laity, in Apostolic Church, 38. 

Latimer, martyrdom of, 302. 

Leo the Great, asserts primacy, 63. 

Lightfoot quoted, 39. 

Liturgical forms non-essential, 15, 217 ; 
may be changed, 15, 23', should be 
simple, 15, 326; not injurious, 17; 
not an end in themselves, 17 ; crite- 
ria forjudging, 17, 18 ; reference to 
unconverted, 19, 20, 186; influences 
multiplying, 29, 66 ; reflex influence 
of, 30 ; in Apostolic Church, 42 ; 
Christian liberty in, 174, 185; min- 
ister to order, 215, 218 ; recent 
movements and tendencies, 305-327 ; 
causes favoring, 322 ; influences op- 
posed to elaborate, 326. 

Liturgy, of St. Clement, 52-60 ; five 
families of, 66 ; of St. Chrysostom, 
68-95 j dramatic character of East- 
ern, 67 ; liturgies of Western Church, 
103 ; Gallican, 103 ; Mozarabic, 107; 
Ambrosian, 109 ; Petrine, in ; Ro- 
man, III, 114; Courland quoted, 
218; first Wittenberg quoted, 218; 
Saxon quoted, 218 ; different Luth- 
eran types, 224 ; development of 
Lutheran, 224 ; Romanizing class, 

226 ; Mark- Brandenburg translated, 

227 ; Strasburg, 229 ; Austrian, 229 ; 
of Northern Germany, 230 ; Bran- 
denburg-Nuremberg translated, 230; 
Saxon translated, 236 ; Brunswick, 
239 ; Spangenberg, 239 ; Coburg, 
241 ; Saxon (1664), 241 ; of South- 
ern Germany, 241, 248; Swabian 
Hall, 244 ; Great Wiirtemberg trans- 
lated, 245 ; Baden, 251 ; Worms, 
251 ; Mecklenberg, 253 ; Ulm, 277 ; 
Zwingli's, 290-292 ; Calvin's, 294, 
295 ; Knox's, 297 ; of Prayer Book, 



303 ; of 1 6th century, 305 ; Prussian, 
311 ; Normal Lutheran, 318 ; Com- 
mon Service, 319; of the future, 
326. 

Lohe quoted and criticised, 23 ; on 
liturgies of Southern Germany, 242 ; 
on Lutheran liturgies, 250 ; on the 
Collect, 259 ; matins and vespers, 
273 ; tendency of, 313. 

Lord's Prayer, position of, 267, 
305. 

Lord's Supper, in Apostolic Church, 
23 ; in Luther's order of divine wor- 
ship, 162; in Formula Missoe, 171, 
175 ; in German Mass, 195. 

Luthardt quoted, 337-340. 

Luther, on worship, 12 ; quoted, 20 ; 
on pericope, 21 ; on importance of 
preaching, 22, 146, 159, 162, 192, 
204 ; on abolition of Jewish service, 
37 ; a Roman priest, 143 ; in Rome, 
143 ; attachment to papacy, 144 ; 
lectures on Scripture, 144 ; ninety- 
five theses, 145 ; on faith in wor- 
ship, 147 ; condemns sacrifice of 
Mass, 149 ; letter to Chapter of All 
Saints Church, 153 ; three liturgical 
writings, 156 ; order of divine wor- 
ship m the congregation, 159 ; For- 
mula Missae, 164-183 ; conservative 
tendency, 165 ; describes ancient 
service, 166, 167 ; on Christian lib- 
erty in forms of worship, 174, 185 ; 
on vestments, 175 ; German Mass, 
184 201 ; favors languages, 187 ; 
special evangelical service, 188 ; 
Catechism in worship, 190; version 
of the Creed, 262. 

Lutheran worship, scriptural, 146; ne- 
cessity of faith, 147, 203; congrega- 
tional, 149 ; Eucharist grace-bear- 
ing, 150 ; principles of, 203-222 ; 
preaching in, 204 ; distinguishes be- 
tween human and divine ordinances, 
207 ; described by Koestlin, 220 ; 
forms of worship, 223-252 ; three 
types of, 224 ; analyzed and ex- 
plained, 253-270. 



366 



INDEX. 



M. 

Man, spiritual nature of, 9. 

Mark- Brandenburg liturgy Romanizing, 

226 ; translated, 227. 
Mary, Queen, restores Catholicism, 302. 
Matins and vespers, 181 ; order of, 

273- 

Mass, a sacrifice, 115, 203 ; canon of, 
118; Luther on, 149, 151, 153, 154. 

Means of grace, 23, 205, 331, 333. 

Mecklenberg order, 253. 

Melanchthon, on preaching, 22. 

Methodism, 309. 

Middle Ages, religious life in, 96 ; 
cathedrals in, 96 ; hymns of, 97. 

Ministry, in Apostolic Church, 37 ; 
why instituted, 277 ; in relation to 
worship, 344-361 ; Lutheran doc- 
trine of, 352. 

Missal, The Roman, 120-142, 

Morning worship, 160; service, 271- 

275. 
Mosheim quoted, 51 ; on Church in 

5 th century, 63 ; in 8th century, 99 ; 

on rights of congregations, 359. 
Mozarabic liturgy, 107 ; influence on 

Prayer Book, 109. 

N. 

Neale, on mystical interpretation of 
Eastern liturgies, 66 ; on the Mozar- 
abic liturgy, 107. 

Neander, on the Church, 351. 

Ninety-five theses, 145. 

o. 

Offertory in the Mass, 170. 

Order of divine worship in congrega- 
tion, 159. 

Origen quoted, 61. 

Orthodoxy, effect of dead, on worship, 
305. 

P. 

Palmer, on Galilean liturgy, 105 ; lit- 
urgy of Wiirtemburg, 243 ; quoted, 
249. 



Pericopes discussed, 20, 21, 327. 

Pietism, 307. 

Pliny, letter of, 45. 

Plitt, on the Word, 151. 

Post-communion, order of, 269. 

Prayer defined, 24 ; form of, 25. 

Prayer Book, of Edward VL, 300; 
Second Prayer Book, 302 ; its pres- 
ent form, 303 ; criticised, 304. 

Preaching, its place in worship, 22, 
162, 192, 204, 264, 357 ; its neglect 
in Roman worship, 22, 116; testi- 
mony of Luther and Melanchthon, 
22 ; importance of, 159, 263. (See 
Scripture. ) 

Preface, The, explained, 265. 

Priesthood of believers, 148, 280, 353; 
Christian and Roman, 148. 

Protestantism, Lutheran and Reformed, 
276 ; agreement in, 281. 

Prussian liturgy, 31 1, 

Puseyism, 313. 



Rationalism of 1 8th century, 308. 

Reformation, formal principle of, 146 ; 
four great principles of, 150; in 
England, 299 ; necessity of, 328. 

Reformed churches, worship in, 276- 
285 ; differ from Lutheran Church, 
281-284; indifferent to ceremonies, 
283 ; not opposed to liturgies, 283. 

Relic worship introduced, 64. 

Richter quoted, 9. 

Rites, ecclesiastical, not worship, II ; 
Augsburg Confession on, 15 ; Thirty- 
nine Articles on, 15 ; Formula of 
Concord on, 15 ; distinguished from 
divine ordinances, 207 ; adiaphorous, 
217, 358 ; when observed, 219, 221 ; 
in Reformed Church, 280 ; not to be 
imposed, 358. 

Roman worship, 114 142 ; uniformity 
of, 114; Lord's Supper central in, 
115; neglect of Scripture, 116, 203; 
congregation passive, 117, 1 18, 209; 
faith unnecessary, 117; unchange- 
able, 118; multiplication of works, 



INDEX. 



2>^1 



119 ; summary of, 119 ; missal, 120- 
142 ; abuses of, 159. 
Rome, See of, claims primacy, 62. 



Sacerdotalism, 65, 98 ; effect on wor- 
ship, 99. 

Salutation, The, 258 ; in Eucharistic 
service, 264. 

Sanctus, The, 265. 

Sartorius quoted, 337, 342. 

Schaff, on Mozarabic liturgy, 1 10 ; on 
Roman liturgy, iii. 

Schleiermacher, influence of, 311. 

Schoeberlein quoted, 358. 

Scripture, what should be read in wor- 
ship, 20 ; manner of reading, 21 ; 
Protestant doctrine of, 35 ; with- 
drawn from the people, 100 ; why 
neglected in Roman Church, 1 16; 
basis of evangehcal worship, 146 ; 
given to the people, 151 ; chief thing 
in worship, 162, 192, 204, 328, 342 ; 
in Reformed worship, 279 ; in rela- 
tion to other means of grace, 328- 
343 ; gives efficacy to sacraments, 
336. 

Sermon defined, 22 ; its place in wor- 
ship, 22 ; falls into neglect, 65 ; its 
place in the liturgy, 263. (See 
Preaching. ) 

Singing, in worship, 26, 209. 

Spener, 307. 

Strasburg Kirchenambt, 229. 

Synagogue service, 39. 

T. 

Teaching of Twelve Apostles on wor- 
ship, 46. 

Thirty-nine Articles on ceremonies, 15. 

Tractarian movement, 315 ; exalts tra- 
dition, 315 ; Church a visible organ- 
ization, 315 ; Apostolic succession, 
316 ; opus operatum, 316 ; Roman- 
izing, 316; tends to ritualism, 316. 

Transubstantiation promulgated, loi ; 
abhorred by the Reformers, 278. 



u. 

Ulfilas, Gothic version of Scriptures, 

100. 
Ulm, Church order of, 282. 

V. 

Vestments, Luther on, 175. 
Vulgate, of Jerome, 100. 

w. 

Word, The. (See Scripture.) 
Worship, an instinct, 9 ; origin of, in 
needs of soul, 10 ; effect of Chris- 
tianity upon, 10 ; Kliefoth criticised, 
II; nature of, II, 147; ecclesias- 
tical rites, II, 207 ; two factors and 
their designations, 12 ; Luther on, 
12 ; essentially spiritual, 13 ; out- 
ward, 13, 14; diversity of forms in- 
evitable, 14, 15 ; forms may be 
changed, 15 ; forms should be sim- 
ple, 16, 188, 216 ; not an end in 
themselves, 17 ; criteria for judging 
forms of, 17, 18; should have refer- 
ence to unconverted, 19, 20 ; object- 
ive element of, 20 ; place of preach- 
ing in, 22, 160, 163, 192, 204 ; 
prayer discussed, 24, 25 ; singing in, 

26, 27 : time and place of worship, 

27, 212 ; art in, 27 ; in Apostolic 
Church, 35-47 ; in spirit and truth, 
41 ; aims at edification, 41 ; orderly, 
42, 21 1,212; in 2d century, 44, 47 ; 
in age of Constantine, 48-60 ; elabo- 
rate ceremonies, 51 ; sacrificial idea 
introduced, 51, 52 ; in 4th century, 
52; in Eastern Church, 61-95; o^ 
images and relics, 64 ; effect of sa- 
cerdotal and sacrificial idea, 65 ; in 
Western Church, 96-113; centered 
in the Eucharist, 100 ; in Roman 
Catholic Church, 114- 142 ; Lutheran 
Renovation of, 143-156; Luther's 
order of, in the congregation, 159 ; 
catechism in, 189 ; faith in, 208 ; 
should be congregational, 209 ; not 
meritorious, 210 ; in i8th century. 



368 



INDEX. 



251 ; in Reformed churches, 276- 
285 ; effect of dead orthodoxy, 305 ; 
effect of Pietism, 307 ; of Rational- 
ism, 308 ; of Methodism, 309 ; relig- 
ious reaction in Germany, 310; 
Puseyism, 313-315. 
Western Church, worship in, 96-113 ; 
religious life, 96-100 ; errors of, 100- 
103. 



Word, in relation to Sacraments, 23, 

328-343- 
Works, in Roman Church, 119. 
Worms liturgy, 251. 

z. 

Zwingli, 286-294 ; provisory liturgy, 
290 ; liturgy of Lord's Supper, 291 ; 
its revision, 293. 



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